麻豆传媒

Editorial: 鈥淗ow to engineer a better future鈥�

A vision of the future built not around technical wizardry but democracy, with the engineering on tap but not on top? Not what you would expect from a group of engineers, but the UK鈥檚 has delivered just that. A report out this week shows how humanity already has at its disposal all the tools to make room for as many as 9 billion people.

There are 鈥渘o insurmountable technical issues in meeting the needs of 9 billion people鈥� sustainable engineering solutions largely exist鈥�, the engineers write in Population: One Planet, Too Many People?

Switching the world to low-carbon energy, for instance, does not require more research breakthroughs. We need instead to fix 鈥渕arket failures鈥� that prevent widespread adoption of extant technologies, like concentrated solar energy and nuclear power.

Dams damned

The report even sidelines some traditional engineering solutions. Forget large dams, it says 鈥� increased water storage should come from recharging aquifers with treated waste water and flood waters.

As for where to put the projected 9 billion, it notes that most of the extra population will be in urban areas, often slums. Better homes are a priority, but the report rejects outright the 鈥渆ngineering solution of decant-demolish-rebuild-return鈥�.

Slums need help to improve, not a demolition ball. The report says the world should adopt a series of engineering goals to sit alongside the United Nations鈥� existing millennium development goals.

Another report out today also sets a high note, declaring that it is possible to feed the future 9 billion without trashing the planet.