Engineering solutions posed to address world population pressures

12 January 2011

Source: PSN & IMecheE

A groundbreaking report has been published by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (UK), putting forward urgent engineering solutions to the expected consequences of projected global population increase over the coming decades.

World pressured by population growth

Population Explosion: Can the Planet Cope? is the first report of its kind by the engineering profession, published today by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE ). 

Based on future population projections, the report warns that the world is hurtling towards ‘population overload’ with world population expected to peak in the latter half of the 21st century at around 9.5 billion, up from today’s level of 6.9 billion. This will place immense pressure on the environment and resources, putting billions at risk of hunger, thirst and slum conditions. There will be impacts for all countries, not only those with higher rates of population growth.

Urbanisation will soar. ‘Mega-cities’ of more than 10 million people will rise to 29 by 2025 and the urban population will increase from 3.3billion (2007) to 6.4 billion (2050).  Food will also become an increasingly precious commodity and developed areas such as the UK will be forced to stamp out its ‘throwaway’ lifestyle. Water consumption will increase by 30% by 2030 and there is projected to be a 50% hike in water extraction for industrial use in Asia. This, the report states, could create civil unrest and land battles for resources as climate change exacerbates these issues, potentially displacing up to 1 billion people over the next 40 years.

Engineering solutions hold the key

The report puts forward engineering solutions to the anticipated pressures exerted by population growth. Unless these are urgently implemented the report argues, then the projected 2.5 billion more people on earth by the end of this Century will crush the earth’s resources.

“The challenge is how to apply engineering knowledge, expertise and skills around the world to build a new sustainable future,” said Dr John Bongaarts, Vice President of the Population Council in New York. He worked along with Dr Fox and a 70-strong delegation of engineers around the world to compile the research.

“To have the public knowledgeable about it (the report) is crucial. Political actors in every country should bring this to the attention of their government. Societal infrastructure cannot keep up, in fact it is crumbling.”

Calls for Engineering Development Goals

According to the report, energy, food, water, urbanisation and finance are the five areas which will be significantly affected by the effects of population growth. These are dubbed Engineering Development Goals (EDG) and should be the next step for the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the report says.

“Population increase will be the defining challenge of 21st Century, a global issue that will affect us all no matter where we live.  Britain is in a currently in a prime position where it has, at its fingertips, some of the most groundbreaking engineering solutions in the world – and the brightest and most educated engineers. We need to work right now with the Department For International Development to set up a knowledge ‘swap-shop’ of engineering skills with other countries.”

The Five Engineering Development Goals

These goals, proposed by the report are:

1. Energy: Use existing sustainable energy technologies and reduce energy waste
2. Water: Replenish groundwater resources, improve storage of excess water and increase energy efficiencies of desalination.
3. Food: Reduce food waste and resolve the politics of hunger.
4. Urbanisation: Meet the challenges of slums and defending against sea-level rises.
5. Finance: Empower communities and enable implementation.

PSN comment and calls for investment in family planning

Population and Sustainability Network welcomes the report by the Institute of Mechanical Engineering that sets out how engineers can respond to the difficulties posed by future world population growth and increasing urbanisation.

The growth in the world’s population that is projected to take place over the coming decades will present a great range of developmental challenges. It is vital that governments consider and implement as necessary, the important roles highlighted by the report that engineers can play in helping meet the challenges of ensuring food, water, shelter and energy for the future world population. Support must be made available to countries of the global South to help them to utilise sustainable technological solutions.

We also emphasise that opportunities to reduce world population growth do exist, before the world’s population reaches the projected level assumed by the report. There are an estimated 215 million women worldwide who want to avoid pregnancy but do not have access to contraception. Urgent investment in voluntary family planning services that respect and protect rights is required to address this vast unmet need, to ensure that women are able to makes choices about their own fertility. This strategy offers a proven and cost effective strategy for slowing population growth and helping achieve other development goals, and must be pursued alongside efforts to address the consequences posed by world population growth.

The full report is available on the Institute of Mechanical Engineering’s website.