UNIVERSITI KUALA LUMPUR

MALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OF
CHEMICAL AND BIOENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

CLB 40002
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIETY
ASSIGNMENT GROUP 1
FUTURE TRENDS IN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGISTS: GLOBAL
URBANISATION AND THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

PREPARED BY:

NURUL SYAKIRA BINTI MOHAMAD NASIR 55213218005

MUHAMMAD SYAFIQ BIN SADINAH ABU BAKAR 55213218004
KHAIRUL FAIZ BIN KHAIRUL SHALEH 55213218006
ALLIMIN AZRIE BIN SHABRI 55213218003

SUBMITTED TO:
DR. NORZAHIR SAPAWE

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 FUTURE TRENDS IN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGISTS:

GLOBAL URBANISATION AND THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Name : NURUL SYAKIRA BINTI MOHAMAD NASIR 55213218005

: MUHAMMAD SYAFIQ BIN SADINAH ABU BAKAR 55213218004

: KHAIRUL FAIZ BIN KHAIRUL SALEH 55213218006

: ALLIMIN AZRIE BIN SHABRI 55213218003

Date : 20 APRIL 2018

TOTAL PERCENTAGE (10%)

EVALUATION

No Criteria Marks

1 Originality 1 2 3 4 5
2 Informative 4 8 12 16 20
3 Clarity and structure of explanation 2 4 6 8 10
4 Grammar and Spelling 1 2 3 4 5
5 Sentences are well constructed 1 2 3 4 5
6 Format 1 2 3 4 5
TOTAL MARKS (50 marks)

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

CONTENT PAGES

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1

2.0 ISSUES RELATED IN ENGINEERING 2

TECHNOLOGISTS

3.0 CODE OF ETHICS, SAFETY AND RISK 3-7

4.0 RELATED ISSUES THAT NORMALLY ARISES IN 8-9

THE CAREER OF TECHNOLOGISTS

I. Energy
II. Climate
III. Waste Management

5.0 SOLUTION OF RESPECTIVE ISSUES 10 - 11

I. Energy
 Move towards renewable resources
 Buy energy efficient product

II. Climate
 Consume Less
 Stop Cutting Down Trees

III. Waste Management

 Incentive Collection of Goods
 Eat Organic Foods

6.0 CONCLUSION 12

7.0 REFERENCES 13

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Human beings have become an increasingly powerful environmental force over the last
10,000 years. With the advent of agriculture 8,000 years ago, we began to change the
land. With the industrial revolution, we began to affect our atmosphere. The recent
increase in the world’s population has magnified the effects of our agricultural and
economic activities. But the growth in world population has masked what may be an even
more important human-environmental interaction: While the world’s population is
doubling, the world’s urban population is tripling. Within the next few years, more than
half the world’s population will be living in urban areas.

Among developing countries, Latin American countries have the highest proportion of
their population living in urban areas. But East and South Asia are likely to have the fastest
growth rates in the next 30 years. Almost all of future world population growth will be in
towns and cities. Both the increase in and the redistribution of the earth’s population are
likely to affect the natural systems of the earth and the interactions between the urban
environments and populations.

Industrialization has led to many of the world’s current environmental problems. For
example, climate change, unsafe levels of air pollution, the depletion of fishing stocks,
toxins in rivers and soils, overflowing levels of waste on land and in the ocean, loss of
biodiversity and deforestation can all be traced to industrialization. As the Fourth
Industrial Revolution gathers pace, innovations are becoming faster, more efficient and
more widely accessible than before. Technology is also becoming increasingly connected;
in particular, we are seeing a merging of digital, physical and biological realms. New
technologies are enabling societal shifts by having an effect on economics, values,
identities and possibilities for future generations.

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2.0 ISSUES RELATED IN ENGINEERING
TECHNOLOGISTS

As highlighted in city growth and the urbanization process are linked with biophysical
and ecological processes. The totality of these linkages are often too daunting to track down;
therefore, researchers tend to adopt one of two primary modes of analysis to dissect the
interaction between cities and the environment.

The first case study is environment, city growth and the urbanization process are linked
with biophysical and ecological processes. The totality of these linkages are often too daunting
to track down. Therefore, researchers tend to adopt one of two primary modes of analysis to
dissect the interaction between cities and the environment.

One mode of analysis of urban/environment interactions is to focus on the impact of

urban areas upon biodiversity or ecosystem services. These impacts can occur over a range of
spatial scales (McDonald et al. 2009). At a very local scale, the pattern of urban development
determines how natural habitat is fragmented, which affects how native biodiversity is
impacted and where invasive species become established. For a more complete discussion of
policymakers’ attitudes toward urbanization and policies that can decrease environmental
impact.

A second mode of analysis of urban/environment interactions is to study the

dependence of urbanites on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Dependencies can occur over
a range of scales, just like impacts. To be a true ecosystem service, a desirable ecosystem
process has to occur near consumers of that service (McDonald 2009). The degree to which
proximity is essential; the transportability of an ecosystem service, varies from service to
service. Urban street trees, for instance, provide shade to urbanites over a scale of tens of
meters. At a watershed scale, many cities depend on natural habitat to provide an adequate
supply of clean water. At a global level, urbanites depend on the climate regulation services
supplied by ecosystems.

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3.0 CODE OF ETHICS, SAFETY AND RISK

Broad principles
Ethics is generally understood as the discipline or field of study dealing with moral duty
or obligation. This typically gives rise to a set of governing principles or values, which in turn
are used to judge the appropriateness of particular conducts or behaviors. These principles are
usually presented either as broad guiding principles of an idealistic or inspirational nature or,
alternatively, as a detailed and specific set of rules couched in legalistic or imperative terms to
make them more enforceable. Professions that have been given the privilege and responsibility
of self-regulation, including the engineering profession, have tended to opt for the first
alternative, espousing sets of underlying principles as codes of professional ethics which form
the basis and framework for responsible professional practice. Arising from this context,
professional codes of ethics have sometimes been incorrectly interpreted as a set of ‘rules’ of
conduct intended for passive observance. A more appropriate use by practicing professionals
is to interpret the essence of the underlying principles within their daily decision-making
situations in a dynamic manner, responsive to the need of the situation. As a consequence, a
code of professional ethics is more than a minimum standard of conduct; rather, it is a set of
principles, which should guide professionals in their daily work.

In summary, the model Code presented herein expresses the expectations of engineers
and society in discriminating engineers’ professional responsibilities. The Code is based on
broad principles of truth, honesty and trustworthiness, respect for human life and welfare,
fairness, openness, competence and accountability. Some of these broader ethical principles or
issues deemed more universally applicable are not specifically defined in the Code although
they are understood to be applicable as well. Only those tenets deemed to be particularly
applicable to the practice of professional engineering are specified. Nevertheless, certain ethical
principles or issues not commonly considered to be part of professional ethics should be
implicitly accepted to judge the engineer’s professional performance.

Issues regarding the environment and sustainable development know no geographical

boundaries. The engineers and citizens of all nations should know and respect the
environmental ethic. It is desirable therefore that engineers in each nation continue to observe
the philosophy of the Principles of Environmental Ethics delineated in Section III of this Code.

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Practice ethical provisions

Professional engineering technologists shall:

 Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and the protection of
both the natural and the built environment in accordance with the Principles of
Sustainable Development.

 Promote health and safety within the workplace.

 Offer services, advise on or undertake engineering assignments only in areas of

their competence and practice in a careful and diligent manner.

 Act as faithful agents of their clients or employers, maintain confidentially and

disclose conflicts of interest.

 Keep themselves informed in order to maintain their competence, strive to advance

the body of knowledge within which they practice and provide opportunities for the
professional development of their subordinates and fellow practitioners.

 Conduct themselves with fairness and good faith towards clients, colleagues and
others, give credit where it is due and accept, as well as give, honest and fair
professional criticism.

 Be aware of and ensure that clients and employers are made aware of societal and
environmental consequences of actions or projects and endeavor to interpret
engineering issues to the public in an objective and truthful manner.

 Present clearly to employers and clients the possible consequences of overruling or

disregarding of engineering decisions or judgment.
 Report to their association and/or appropriate agencies any illegal or unethical
engineering decisions or practices of engineers or others.

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Environmental engineering ethics

Technologists, as they develop any professional activity, shall:

 Try with the best of their ability, courage, enthusiasm and dedication to obtain a
superior technical achievement, which will contribute to and promote a healthy and
agreeable surrounding for all people, in open spaces as well as indoors.

 Strive to accomplish the beneficial objectives of their work with the lowest possible
consumption of raw materials and energy and the lowest production of waste and
any kind of pollution.

 Discuss in particular the consequences of their proposals and actions, direct or

indirect, immediate or long term, upon the health of people, social equity and the
local sys- tem of values.

 Study thoroughly the environment that will be affected, assess all the impacts that
might arise in the structure, dynamics and aesthetics of the ecosystems involved,
urbanized or natural, as well as in the pertinent socio-economic systems, and select
the best alternative for development that is both environmentally sound and
sustainable.

 Promote a clear understanding of the actions required to restore and, if possible, to

improve the environment that may be disturbed, and include them in their
proposals.

 Reject any kind of commitment that involves unfair damages for human
surroundings and nature, and aim for the best possible technical, social, and
political solution.

 Be aware that the principles of ecosystem interdependence, diversity maintenance,

resource recovery and inter- relational harmony form the basis of humankind’s
continued existence and that each of these bases poses a threshold of sustainability
that should not be exceeded.

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Interpretation of the Code of Ethics

The interpretive articles that follow expand on and discuss some of the more difficult
and interrelated components of the Code especially related to the Practice Provisions. No
attempt is made to expand on all clauses of the Code, nor is the elaboration presented on a
clause-by-clause basis. The objective of this approach is to broaden the interpretation, rather
than narrow its focus. The ethics of professional engineering is an integrated whole and cannot
be reduced to fixed ‘rules’. Therefore, the issues and questions arising from the Code are
discussed in a general framework, drawing on any and all portions of the Code to demonstrate
their inter-relationship and to expand on the basic intent of the Code.

Sustainable development and environment

Technologists shall strive to enhance the quality of the biophysical and socio-economic
urban environment of buildings and spaces, and to promote the principles of sustainable
development.

Technologists shall seek opportunities to work for the enhancement of safety, health
and the social welfare of both their local community and the global community through the
practice of sustainable development.

Technologists whose recommendations are overruled or ignored on issues of safety,

health, welfare or sustainable development shall inform their contractor or employer of the
possible con- sequences.

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Protection of the public and the environment

Professional Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public
and the protection of the environment. This obligation to the safety, health and welfare of the
general public, which includes one’s own work environment, is often dependent upon
engineering judgments, risk assessments, decisions and practices incorporated into structures,
machines, products, processes and devices Therefore engineers must control and ensure that
what they are involved with is in conformity with accepted engineering practice, standards and
applicable codes, and would be considered safe based on peer adjudication. This responsibility
extends to include all and any situation which an engineer encounters and includes an
obligation to advise the appropriate authority if there is reason to believe that any engineering
activity, or its products, processes and so on, do not conform with the above stated conditions.
The meaning of paramount in this basic tenet is that all other requirements of the Code are
subordinate if protection of public safety, the environment or other substantive public interests
are involved.

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4.0 RELATED ISSUES THAT NORMALLY ARISES IN THE
CAREER OF TECHNOLOGISTS

"Engineering Technologists" is a term used for graduates of engineering technology

degree. Engineering Technologists can include aeronautical, agricultural, biomedical, and
environmental engineers, as well as naval architects. Some example of real-world
challenges a technologists may face include:

I. Energy

All the world’s economies continue to face big challenges in using energy-the lifeblood
of the industrial age-while maintaining environmental quality. Although energy efficiency
is much greater than ever before, growth in the economy has assured rising energy
consumption. While the average fuel efficiency of new passenger cars has more than
doubled since 1975, the environmental gains are increasingly offset by the popularity of
lower-mileage light-duty trucks and sport utility vehicles, increases in miles travelled per
vehicle, and large increases in vehicle ownership. .

Nonetheless, technology-impelled by economic, regulatory, and environmental

pressures-has made possible impressive reductions in vehicular emissions of volatile
organic compounds and carbon monoxide per mile travelled. Reductions in both by 70-80
percent since 1977 would not have been possible without substantial innovations in, most
notably, electronics.

II. Climate

Discussions of energy use lead naturally to the question of how it may be affecting the
earth’s climate. Two newer technologies, fuel cells and small, single-cycle gas turbines-
induced by economic and environmental considerations as well as by innovation policy-
offer substantial environmental advantages over traditional, large, centralized power plants.
Local generation by smaller plants can not only reduce transmission losses, but also
improve air quality since they can be fuelled by hydrogen and natural gas-much cleaner

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than coal on a per kilowatt hour basis. If fuel cells become widely adopted in transportation,
emissions will plunge there too.

Adopting such technologies may not be a perfect solution, however, particularly in

power generation. Some fuel cell technologies release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. In
addition, small-scale plants serving only residential areas or small businesses may be less
able to balance the peaks in demand than are larger plants serving both types of customers.

III. Waste Management

The trade-off between benefits and costs of new developments in biotechnology has
made headlines in the case of genetically modified food supplies. Similar concerns
surround the technology of bioremediation. Naturally occurring microorganisms have long
been used to break down human, agricultural, industrial, and municipal organic wastes.
Now, genetically engineered organisms are being used to treat not only industrial effluent,
but also wastewater, contaminated soil, and petroleum spills. Bioremediation treats about
5-10 percent of all toxic chemicals and other hazardous waste; has successfully treated oil,
gasoline, toluene, naphthalene, pentachlorophenol (a fungicide and wood preservative),
and agricultural waste. Bioremediation can be a particularly cost-effective approach. Most
of the costs of traditional clean-up technologies come in removing and disposing of
contaminated soil, water, or other materials. Bioremediation requires only delivering the
bacteria to the site, not excavating or otherwise disturbing it, thus reducing post-cleanup
costs. These benefits must be balanced against what some critics view as potentially large
drawbacks. One concern is that bioremediation may largely immobilize rather than fully
remediate contamination. Another is that instead of reverting to its original state, the site
will be transformed in some unexpected way. A third concern is that the potential risks of
adding genetically altered organisms to the environment, or even redistributing naturally
occurring ones, may not be fully understood.

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5.0 POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS OF THE RESPECTIVE ISSUES

Solution of related issues:

I. Energy

 Move towards renewable resources: The best possible solution is to reduce

the world’s dependence on non-renewable resources and to improve overall
conservation efforts. Much of the industrial age was created using fossil fuels,
but there is also known technology that uses other types of renewable energies
– such as steam, solar and wind. The major concern isn’t so much that we will
run out of gas or oil, but that the use of coal is going to continue to pollute the
atmosphere and destroy other natural resources in the process of mining the coal
that it has to be replaced as an energy source. This isn’t easy as many of the
leading industries use coal, not gas or oil, as their primary source of power for
manufacturing.

 Buy energy efficient products: Replace traditional bulbs with CFL’s and
LED’s. They use less watts of electricity and last longer. If millions of people
across the globe use LED’s and CFL’s for residential and commercial purposes,
the demand for energy can go down and an energy crisis can be averted.

II. Climate

 Consume Less: The easiest way to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions is
simply to buy less stuff. Whether by forgoing an automobile or employing a
reusable grocery sack, cutting back on consumption results in fewer fossil fuels
being burned to extract, produce and ship products around the globe.

Think green when making purchases. For instance, if you are in the market for
a new car, buy one that will last the longest and have the least impact on the
environment. Thus, a used vehicle with a hybrid engine offers superior fuel
efficiency over the long haul while saving the environmental impact of new car
manufacture.

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  Stop Cutting Down Trees: Every year, 33 million acres of forests are cut down.
Timber harvesting in the tropics alone contributes 1.5 billion metric tons of
carbon to the atmosphere. That represents 20 percent of human-made
greenhouse gas emissions and a source that could be avoided relatively easily.
Improved agricultural practices along with paper recycling and forest
management, balancing the amount of wood taken out with the amount of new
trees growing, could quickly eliminate this significant chunk of emissions. And
when purchasing wood products, such as furniture or flooring, buy used goods
or, failing that, wood certified to have been sustainably harvested. The Amazon
and other forests are not just the lungs of the earth, they may also be humanity's
best short-term hope for limiting climate change.

III. Waste Management

 Incentive Collection of Goods: There is a great opportunity for recycling old

circuit boards, mobile and other electronic equipment that’s otherwise ignored
and that’s by offering incentives to the collection of specific items that can be
put to good use. Companies in India, often backed by international donors and
investors, already do this on a small scale. Attero, a start-up based in New Delhi,
for example, pays informal collectors a fee that’s a little higher than what they’d
get for extracting gold from circuit boards. This not only limits a dangerous
practice, but also allows for a more environmentally friendly solution.

 Eat Organic Foods (Not from Supermarket): The ‘natural food’ market isn’t
just a hipster fad gone wrong. While the health benefits may be overstated, the
improved taste and lack of waste through packaging can’t be denied. The
excuses often seen from people are that the food is just too expensive, but that’s
probably because you’re going to expensive supermarkets or “boutique”
grocery stores. The trick in finding organic food that’s decently priced is by
purchasing a farm share or, better yet, growing your own. Farm shares give you
a weekly supply of local seasonal goodies, with most items being cheaper than
‘regular’ food at a supermarket

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6.0 CONCLUSION

Always remember that war, greed, misery and ignorance, plus natural disasters and
human induced pollution and destruction of resources are the main causes of the progressive
impairment of the environment, and that engineering technologists, as active members of
society deeply involved in the promotion of development, must use their talent, knowledge and
imagination to assist society in removing those evils and improving the quality of life for all
people. Lastly, the environmental impact of increased carbon-dioxide emissions and pollution
will also create climate-change pressures, energy and waste pressure. Engineering technology
members play a key role in formulating technical solutions for sustainable cities in social and
environmental terms.

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7.0 REFERENCES

Schwab, K. (2016, January 14). The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What it means and how to
respond. Retrieved April 19, 2018, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-
fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/

Dogra, A. (2016, October 28). The Effects of Urbanization during the Industrial Revolution.
Retrieved April 19, 2018, from https://www.buzzle.com/articles/urbanization-during-the-
industrial-revolution.html

Anne, M., & Carriganmcarrigan@engineersireland.ieAdministratorEngineers Journal. (2016,

June 14). Future trends in engineering: Global urbanisation and the fourth industrial revolution.
Retrieved April 19, 2018, from http://www.engineersjournal.ie/2016/06/14/future-trends-in-
engineering-global-urbanisation-the-fourth-industrial-revolution/

Austin, D., & Macauley, M. K. (2016, July 28). Cutting Through Environmental Issues:
Technology as a double-edged sword. Retrieved April 19, 2018, from
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/cutting-through-environmental-issues-technology-as-a-
double-edged-sword/

I., & J. (2015, September 28). Creative Solutions for the World's Waste Problems. Retrieved
April 19, 2018, from http://www.australianscience.com.au/environmental-science/creative-
solutions-for-the-worlds-waste-problems/

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