www.nce.co.uk1 23-30.07.09 NEWCIVILENGINEER
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CONTENTS 23-30.07.09
NewCivilEngineer
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New Civil Engineer
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Tel: (020) 77284544 (fax4666) Email: prefixplus@emap.com EDITOR1Antony Oliver (020)77284541 antony.oliver DEPUTYEDITOR1JackieWhitelaw (020)77284542 jackie.whitelaw CONTENTEDITOR1MarkHansford (020)77284543 mark.hansford
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AWARDS
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COVERSTORY SteveMorgan
NCEtalks to BAA's new capital programmes director Steve Morgan29
FUTURE Geotechnical
Tough rimes for the geotechnical industry have pushed innovations to the top of the agenda.
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Key role for green energy in carbon reduction
22 Letters
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SaDPaulo collapse latest
38 .CENews
ICEhasts industry forum on globalwater security
Comment "We must overtly push ourselves forwarclas the professionals who can take the lead"
Antony Oliver
1twitter.com/antonyolivernce
Toreacha lowcarbonfuture,we needto takea greatleap
when President Kennedy declared in 1961 that the United States would put a man on the moon within the decade,he also described it as "the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man bas ever embarked".
And, as we mark the 40th anniversary of bis challenge being met, it is clear that he was right. We now look back in amazement at the sheer scale of technical achievement and engineering advancement needed to put Armstrong andAldrin on the Moon's surface.
Party years on we have a new challenge.A challenge of equal if not greater difticulty.1am of course referring to the challenge of climate change. The challenge of adapting our lives to the inevitably changed climate but more significandy the challenge of remapping the waywe live to start the process of mitigating environmental catastrophe.
So as we relivethe glory of 21July 1969, it is perhaps fitting that the Government bas taken
the bold step oflaying clowna national strategy for climate and energy. It is a clearvision and plan to move to a low carbon economy.
And 50 years after JPK set out bis vision, there are clear parallels between the technical and political challenges he envisaged for the Apollo Programme and those facing engineers today in the creation of a low carbon future.
"This decision demands a major national commitment of scientmc and technical manpower," JPK told Congress in 1961.He also pointed out that, alongside cash, it was vital that "every scientist, every engineer, every serviceman, every technician, contractor, and civilservant giveshis personal pledge that this nation will move forward".
Putting a man on the moon within a decade involved some 400,000 engineers and scientists. Meeting the UK's carbon targets for the decade to 2020will require a similar commitment to engineering and technical advancement.
Our moonshot equivalent by 2020is to cut emissions by 34%,generate 40%of our power from low carbon sources, put a smart meter in every home and ensure that 10%ofUK trans- port energy is from sustainable sources.
It is critical now, therefore, that the govern- ment follows through with this strategy by investing in the scale of research and develop- ment and in the implementation required to turn the low carbon dream into a reality.
And civilengineers must be at the heart of this challenge. Offshore wind, new nuclear power, clean coal, the infrastructure for electric vehicles and low carbon housing projects are ail there for us to take the lead on.
And we must avertir push ourselves forward as the professionals who Gantake the lead.
Ir is a massive challenge but it Ganbe achieved - provided that, as JPK said, we
"choose to do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard".
