ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION: A MISSING LINK

Abstract

The history of engineering activities includes many examples of development that has led to environmental degradation. Hence, environmental ethics has a special place in engineering education. The present paper is in the field of engineering ethics, which focuses specifically on the teaching of environmental ethics. Also, the lack of a training course related to environmental ethics is in fact a missing link in the training of engineering experts, which needs special attention to solve future problems. In this regard, officials should think about creating a paradigm shift in the field of education in engineering, because it is related to the interaction between engineers and the environment. Engineers, compared to other single professions, are responsible for majority of the artifacts of the current world which we live in. The impact of an engineer’s work on this constructed world has both benefits and risks, ranging from safety and health issues to environmental degradations. Consequently, education of environmental ethics should be considered as an essential skill for all engineering programs. For this purpose, this article proposes a syllabus for an environmental ethics course.

Keywords

• engineering sciences engineering ethics environment engineering education sustainable development