Economy-Development-Sustainability: Conciliatory Visions towards an Environmentally Ethical Engineering Education

Economy, development, and sustainability are realities that are heavily intertwined. All those realities are the playground of engineers. The world we live in is multicultural and highly unequal. While engineering activities bring benefits, contributing to a more prosperous and equitable world, they may lead to potentially adverse consequences. Because the reality of each society is different from all others, it is not possible to define a one-size-fits-all approach to engineering education regarding ethical practices and sustainable development. It is, therefore, necessary to devise a conciliatory vision towards an environmentally ethical engineering practice that, at the same time, protects the environment while enabling all humans to leave with a minimum of dignity. This paper aims to raise awareness of the challenges facing humanity in the coming years, the role engineers must play in confronting them, and the paths they need to explore to find the right solutions. It is our responsibility to train young engineering students to be up to those challenges.