Educating engineers to contribute to a regional goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2030

Fogg-Rogers, Laura; Bakthavatchaalam, Venkat; Richardson, David; Fowles-Sweet, Wendy

Abstract

The environmental and health impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss are now apparent and yet cohesive policymaking to mitigate emissions is moving too slowly. The UK’s target for carbon neutrality has been set for 2050, but this has been superseded by regional leadership in the West of England aiming for Net Zero by 2030. This has been incorporated within the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) 2030 Strategy through the declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency, with direct (scope 1), indirect (scope 2), and implicated (scope 3) emissions included. In order to meet these goals, sustainability education is embedded through all levels of the Engineering Curriculum, aiming to support the regional goal of Net Zero 2030. Current modules incorporate education for Sustainable Development Goals alongside citizen engagement challenges, where engineers find solutions to real-life problems. All undergraduate engineers also take part in immersive project weeks to develop problem-based learning around the Engineers without Borders international challenges. A new Climate Action Hub aims to showcase staff and student sustainability projects and individual actions. Finally, the initiative for Digital Engineering Technology and Innovation aims to embed sustainability throughout the engineering lifecycle, with UWE Bristol providing skills development leadership for the region to enable the future transition.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: Colloque Ingenium 2021 : Le développement durable dans la formation et les activités d’ingénieur
• Acceptance Date: Jun 15, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Nov 15, 2022
• Publication Date: Nov 15, 2022
• Deposit Date: Mar 16, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 16, 2023
• Journal: Cahiers COSTECH
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Article Number: 133
• Series Title: Sustainability: From research to training
• Keywords: Net zero; Carbon emissions
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10331997
• Publisher URL: http://www.costech.utc.fr/CahiersCOSTECH/spip.php?article133
• Related Public URLs: http://www.costech.utc.fr/CahiersCOSTECH/spip.php?mot74