Case Studies in engineering Engineering Challenges and Opportunities John Morton CEng Chief Executiv

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Case Studies in engineeringEngineering -
Challenges and OpportunitiesJohn Morton
CEngChief ExecutiveThe Engineering and
Technology Board
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Outline

• The Engineering and Technology Board
• A Challenge Met
• Challenges of the 21st Century
• Global Challenges, Engineering Opportunities
• Do we have what it takes to win?

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The Engineering and Technology Board

• The Engineering and Technology Board (ETB), is an
  independent
• organisation that promotes the vital role of
  engineers, engineering and
• technology in our society and inspires people to
  pursue careers at all
• levels in engineering and technology, by
• partnering business and industry, Government and
  the wider STEM community
• producing evidence on the state of engineering
• sharing knowledge within engineering
• inspiring young people to choose a career in
  engineering, matching employers demand for
  skills.
• www.etechb.co.uk

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A challenge met
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The big challenges we face?

• Sustainability
• Population
• Water
• Infectious diseases
• Energy
• Environment global warming

as per Sir David King - Chief Scientific Adviser
2000-2007
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Sustainable Development

• We must leave at least the same size of
  productive base for our successors as we have
  inherited from ours
• Productive base
• Manufactured capital
• Human capital
• Natural/Environmental capital
• These plus Institutions and cultural coordinates
  give the wealth of a nation - Professor Sir
  Partha Dasgupta (Nature and the Economy 2006)
• as per Sir David King - Chief Scientific Adviser
  2000-2007

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Population

• Currently 6.4bn projected to grow to 9bn by the
  end of the century
• Where is the growth most rapid?
• Can we feed and water a world of 9bn people?

as per Sir David King - Chief Scientific Adviser
2000-2007
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Water

• Available fresh water is (roughly) fixed .
• Can you estimate how much this is?
• How much needed per person per person per year
  available?
• Pollution reduces availability of fresh water
• Demand for fresh water increases with population
• At some future date (theoretically) the demand
  will exceed the supply!
• 2050?
• This is going to hit some regions before others
  eg Africa.

as per Sir David King - Chief Scientific Adviser
2000-2007
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Climate change

• This is related to energy and fuel sources and
  emissions. It is perhaps our biggest challenge
  because its solution requires wide scale
  international collaboration in an unevenly
  developed world.
• What is the problem? Global warming caused by
  greenhouse gases
• Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere
• Historically 200ppm but increased dramatically
  over the last century
• Currently 380ppm and heading towards 500ppm.
• The heat retained by these gases will warm our
  planet to levels not known for about 50m years?

as per Sir David King - Chief Scientific Adviser
2000-2007
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Climate change (2)

• What can we do?
• Adapt in preparation for the changes ahead,
  country by country
• Mitigate against the production of greenhouse
  gases
• Switch to low carbon sources of energy
• Improve energy efficiency
• Develop new technologies
• What else?

as per Sir David King - Chief Scientific Adviser
2000-2007
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The opportunities (and competition)

• Solutions to these challenges need the best
  science and the best technology
• Solutions to these problems need the best
  scientists and engineers
• We have (in the UK) a very strong science base
  from which to engineers solutions to these
  challenges
• How can we turn these challenges into
  opportunities for commercial success?
• In addition to the world class science base we
  have in London the worlds foremost financial
  centre
• What does it take to bring these key ingredients
  together?

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Resources (see Engineering UK 2007)

• Secondary Education
• How many 18 year olds do we have in the UK?
• How does this compare with China and India?
• How many graduate engineers do we produce per
  year?
• What are the trends?
• How many graduate engineers do we need now, and
  in 2050?
• Is the market working?
• What is happening to salary levels?

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Forecast Replacement Demand 2004-2014
502,000
163,000
125,000
1,040,000
250,000
Source Working Futures 2
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UK Population 1971-2021
64.7m
7.5
60.2m
55.8m
Source ONS Social Trends 37
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UK Population Projection 16 Year Olds
126,000 Fewer 16 Year Olds Annually -16 Net loss
of 684,000 over period
Source Government Actuarys Department
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UK Full-Time ET Enrolments 2005/6
Source UUK/HESA
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Ambition and Opportunity

• .......as global restructuring continues apace
  focusing advanced industrial nations away from
  low skill, low tech products and processes to the
  technology driven and high value added - Britain
  will only have a competitive edge if we develop
  world leadership in the most technologically
  intensive and science based industries and
  services.
• The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Chancellor of the
  Exchequer, 1997-2007 (21 February 2005)

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The AnswersEngineering UK 2007
www.etechb.co.uk