Progress & change

One motivating factor for me in my career is a desire to create a better world. This drive led me to pursue a career in engineering, a profession with great capacity for creating change.

However, I recognise that my work as an engineer is done in the context of our current economic system. Although progress is being made in some areas it continues to be slow in others [1]. I hold the view that it's the way we view our economic system that stifles progress. The world continues to face many challenges. Despite the best efforts of many engineers, these challenges are not going to be tackled without changing our current economic system.

I've spent much personal time during my life trying to understand sustainable development and the role of engineers in creating a sustainable future. I've attend events, listened to talks, and pursued further leaning through books and the internet. Until recently I lacked a unifying framework pulling together these ideas, explaining how all these elements work together.

During the lockdown I stumbled upon a book - Donut Economics - that has reframed my thinking [2]. It provided me with a framework for thinking about change, sustainability and economics. Through a series of articles, I hope to share some of the ideas I've previously encountered, explaining how they fit into 'the donut'. The global challenges we face can only be tackled together. By sharing my interest and insights on these topics I hope to engage others in further discussion and encourage knowledge sharing.

Each article will focus on my experience of different sustainability topics, how they relate to concepts explained in Donut Economics, and the relevance of these for engineers.

I welcome your comments to provide insight and different perspectives on these issues.

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1. UN Stats, 2019. Sustainable Development Goals Progress Chart 2019. Available at: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2019/progress-chart.pdf
2. Raworth, K., 2017. Donut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Centuary Economist. ISBN: 9781847941398. Available to buy from: amazon.co.uk/Doughnut-Economics-Seven-21st-Century-Economist-ebook/dp/B01BUOGF58