HAPPY WORLD ENGINEERING DAY

Did you know that today is the World Engineering Day? This is the second time this annual celebration will be celebrated worldwide.

World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development was organized for the very first time on the 4th of March in 2020. Today UNESCO will share its global report on World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development.

World Engineering Day was adopted at the 40th General Conference of UNESCO in November 2019.

WHY WE SHOULD CELEBRATE ENGINEERS

Let us begin by recalling what an engineer is. An engineer is a person who designs, builds or maintains machines and structures. In short, they are the superheroes of our everyday lives. Most of the rapid development in human history has happened thanks to engineers that were ready to discover and build new structures and machines benefiting mankind.

But why should we celebrate engineers and sustainable development together? The answer is simple. Without our everyday superheroes, we would not find solutions that benefit both humanity and environment.

UNESCO recognized the key role engineers and engineering has for sustainable development. With the support of all its member countries and more than 80 engineering organizations worldwide, the 4th of March became the World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development.

WHAT ARE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

You might have heard about the UN’s sustainable development goals. There are a total of 17 life-changing goals that the UN and nearly all the countries in the world are committed to. The deadline is 2030. A lot needs to be done. 2030 will soon be here. By then the goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for everyone should be met. Here are the 17 development goals that should be reached by 2030:

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

1. No poverty

2. Zero hunger

3. Good health and well-being

4. Quality education

5. Gender equality

6. Clean water and sanitation

7. Affordable and clean energy

8. Decent work and economic growth

9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure

10. Reduced inequalities

11. Sustainable cities and communities

12. Responsible consumption and production

13. Climate action

14. Life below water

15. Life on land

16. Peace, justice and strong institutions

17. Partnerships for the goals

THE ROLE OF ENGINEERS

It might not come as a surprise that most of the 17 sustainable development goals can be reached only with the help of great engineering. Most of the challenges set by the UN can be met by utilizing science and mathematics. As already mentioned in our previous blog posts, the cities we live in would not be the same without the help of our engineers. Engineering is almost everywhere. Everyday items, such as an electric toothbrush or the system bringing hot water to our bathtub, would not be possible without engineers. There are countless items, machines and systems developed by engineers we rely heavily on. Now that we are in the 4th Industrial Revolution and entering an era of artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, robotics, etc. it is time to tackle problems humankind has always faced. Even though we depend on our dear engineers heavily, it is crucial for all of us to help humankind reach the 17 sustainable development goals. Even though we still have a long way to go, we must acknowledge that we would not be this far without our everyday superheroes – engineers.