Earth in Crisis

This book examines the ethical responsibilities of engineers and scientists in light of new advances in science with a distinct reflection on quantum mechanics. This thorough coverage of these new advances will assist the reader in rethinking our place in the universe and broadening a sense of ethical responsibility for the planet. This book addresses an approach to integrating these changes and deal with issues such as global climate change and the sixth extinction. 

This book compares new ideas in engineering that extend ethical boundaries beyond our present understanding in which Engineering ethics is locked in the world view of the 18^th and 19^th centuries. This books coverage examines how our understanding of the world has changed due to developments in science and society to include green, humanitarian, social justice, and omnium approaches to the engineering profession.  

The coverage of societal and ethics inscience and engineering practice are examined through four major areas.  Green engineering is the design that promotes the use of processes and products that minimize pollution, promote sustainability, and protect human health without sacrificing economic viability and efficiency. Humanitarian engineering seeks to directly improve the well-being of poor, marginalized, or under-served communities, which often lack the means to address pressing problems. Engineering for social justice imagines a new kind of engineering firmly affixed to the common good. Finally, a new approach, omnium engineering, seeks to promote an engineering profession that considers the wants and needs of all life forms not only that of the human species

The scope of this treatise is to examine the premise that the earth is facing grave crises when confronting global climate change and the sixth extinction. Engineering may be the planet’s last best hope, but it requires a new ethic that takes a much broader view of the profession’s ethical responsibilities.  Moreover, the engineering ethic is rooted in the science of the past (Newtonian mechanic). Science has changed (quantum mechanics) but the engineering world view has not. Embracing this new science will inevitably lead to a new story of our responsibilities towards the planet.

George D. Catalano is a Distinguished Service Professor of Biomedical Engineering emeritus at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He holds joint appointments in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical.  Dr. Catalano earned Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science degrees in aerospace engineering at the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Science degree, also in aerospace engineering, at Louisiana State University. Prior to his present position, he served on the faculty at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright State University, Louisiana State University, and the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also served as a visiting scholar at the Polytechnic in Turin, Italy and at the Technical Institute in Erlangen, Germany. Dr. Catalano’s career-long work in promoting peace and social justice in engineering was recently recognized in his selection as a 2022 winner of Constellation Prize which recognizes and promotes engineering for environmental protection, social justice, human rights, and peace.  Dr. Catalano’s research interests include turbulent fluid flows, low and high-speed aerodynamics and experimental methods in physics, modeling ecosystems, as well as learning strategies and paradigms, engineering ethics, engineering design, and environmental ethics. He is listed in the Philosopher’s Index for his published work in animal rights and environmental ethics. Dr. Catalano has authored over 175 technical and educational publications, eight books and has twice been selected as a Fulbright Scholar in recognition of his work in turbulent fluid mechanics.