Sustainability - A bridge engineer’s viewpoint

Engineering uses natural resources to fulfill the fundamental needs of society. For the building of a bridge, steel, stone, and other raw construction materials are used. The results are bridges that cross rivers, valleys, and the like. Besides bridges, our built world consists of buildings, highways, and all manufactured goods needed in daily life. Ideally, improvements in engineering should improve our economy; a better economy improves our living standards, which, in turn, should provide the capability to improve the environment we live in, thus making it possible to achieve sustainability. But a better economy can also spur consumption and deplete the world’s resources even faster. Currently, it appears that the latter is more likely to happen. The Brundtland Commission defined “sustainable development” as such: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (United Nations General Assembly 1987) But how do we know what and how much future generations need to live? As bridge engineers, how can we help making this possible