Up the creek without a paddle?

Are you suffering from climate change anxiety? Are you desperate to do more but never quite finding the opportunity do enough? Are too many people telling you to stop doing what you’re doing and start doing what they’re doing? And then you find out even they aren’t even doing it themselves? There’s good cause for feeing anxious.

As structural engineers we can’t deny our impact on accelerating the climate crisis. As we are constantly being reminded, the built environment is responsible for around half the global greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating global warming and climate change.

We structural engineers are experts in understanding the merits and demerits of materials for construction – and how to use the right material in the right quantities for the job. So, the quickest way for a structural engineer to reduce their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is to stop being a structural engineer. Job done. Just tell everyone to stop building buildings.

Around a third of this (approximately 15% of global emissions) come from creating and using the construction materials that go into buildings and infrastructure, notably steel and concrete. We structural engineers are experts in understanding the merits and demerits of materials for construction – and how to use the right material in the right quantities for the job. So, the quickest way for a structural engineer to reduce their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is to stop being a structural engineer. Job done. Just tell everyone to stop building buildings.

Of course it isn’t that easy. To have impact you’ll have to persuade all the structural engineers in the world to stop being structural engineers. That could take a while.

And just suppose this starts to happen. No new schools, new hospitals, roads, homes - globally. What’s that mean for the half of the global population that is desperate to develop for the sake of their survival. What does that mean for all the infrastructure we need to build to ensure a fossil fuel free future is possible? We cannot stop building.

It you’ve read Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics (and, if not, I strongly recommend you do) you’ll be very clear that we have to try to deliver to the basic human needs world-wide, whilst not so harming the natural world that we undermine the planet’s ability to support life (including human life) as we know it. I can feel the climate anxiety coming back already.

So, we have to keep building, but we have to build far more wisely and make better decisions about the resources we use and the purpose for which we use them.

This is quite a balancing act, but this is where the Institution has been trying to help structural engineers better understand the challenges, and change their priorities, their values, and what they do.

Perhaps this is helping us keep our canoe afloat and begin to use a paddle to take it in the right direction.

Five years ago (17th October 2019, to be precise), the Institution held its first Climate Conference, spurred on by the launch of the Structural Engineers’ Declaration of Climate and Biodiversity Emergency. Members met at the Institution’s HQ – it was a full house. One of the actions agreed was that the Institution should set up a Climate Emergency Task Group (CETG) to help steer the Institution’s response to the climate emergency.

A great deal has happened since then, but it’s very clear that while the Institution can guide, advise and change its own membership requirements, governments and industry have moved far too slowly - they talk the talk but rarely walk the walk.

The European climate service, Copernicus, has announced that the world’s average temperatures have been higher than the 1.5°C warming limit for a full 12 months, yet governments seem to be loosening their grip on their legislated reduction targets, fearful of the economic and electoral consequence. Society today seems unwilling or unable to look after society tomorrow. So, there is no doubt a great deal more we need to do to accelerate change.

At its formation five years ago, the CETG set out a four-part plan to set and raise standards, support change in the profession, and increase its influence on a wider front. You will see from our 2024 report that we have been moving up this ladder. Having put in a lot of time on raising standards across the profession, we are focussing increasingly on growing our influence and collaboration with other bodies. Seeing the weakening response from industry and governments, this is vital. We have to work across the engineering profession and construction industry to make our voice heard and to give us a chance to influence policies, regulations and legislation.

You will see in the report that work on the proposed Part Z of the Building Regulations and the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (NZCBS) is progressing. We are also collaborating increasingly with other institutions such ICE, RICS and the RAEng. Please take a look at the report to find out the full range of activities. The Institution is raising its voice and ability to influence. We’d like your support.

Looking closer to home, we are keen to make it clearer than ever that a member’s personal ethics and conduct is crucial in the Climate Emergency response of the profession. The Institution in reviewing the way it guides its members and sets out sound ethical principles for members to follow.

Looking ahead, the Institution will be helping members see the importance of taking on board the full consequences of their actions, on society and the natural world. The aim should always be for our projects to help promote stronger communities and healthier natural systems –  regenerative outcomes. Please do look at our book The Regenerative Structural Engineer, written by Oliver Broadbent and James Norman and published by the Institution in early 2024.

The CETG was conceived as a short-term group to kick start a response, but addressing  the Climate Emergency is more crucial than ever, and there is a great deal to be done to raise awareness, not just within the profession but in the industry and government. So, the CETG is ready to continue with the task, working with the Institution, its committees, panels and membership, to ensure we have a profession that is at the helm of change that is urgently needed. We hope you will read our 2024 report on the Institution’s climate progress and ambitions. It might just help you find the paddle you are looking for and perhaps help you turn that climate anxiety into climate action.