Engineers urged to push for sustainability

The engineering profession had a duty to be a major influence in securing sustainability in policy making, Environment Minister George Pullicino said yesterday.

Addressing a Chamber of Engineers' conference on Engineering the Environment, the minister said there was a need to include environmental considerations in engineering education that would allow students to develop a mature approach towards understanding and avoiding decisions that could have a negative impact on sustainability.

Mr Pullicino said the time would soon come when the Malta Environment and Planning Authority would start taking into account the impact of excessive energy use, insulation load of building envelopes, consumption and recovery of water, and generation of waste.

This meant that engineers would be engaged as consultants in these fields.

He called on the profession to engage itself more in research and the development of sustainable technology.