Challenges and Perspectives of Venezuelan Engineering Agenda towards Sustainability

Desafíos y Perspectivas de la Ingeniería Venezolana Agenda hacia la Sustentabilidad

Abstract

Engineering has been the protagonist, since the Industrial Revolution and throughout the last decades, of significant advances and achievements that have improved people's quality of life. But many of these achievements have generated a series of challenges, due to their contribution to the stoning of natural capital, as well as the degradation of ecosystems; on the other hand, the population continues to grow, and with it its demands, which translates into an increase in sustainability problems. For this reason, engineering today must be transformed and understand that the biosphere is limited, and that if future generations are to achieve growth and development, capacities must be created today, not to compromise their resources and opportunities tomorrow. It is there, where the greatest challenges are centered when we speak of an agenda from the perspective of Venezuelan Engineering, framed in the current environment and aimed at sustainability, with three of these challenges being addressed in this research: (1) Training of future engineers, (2) Internalization of responsibility to be able to move forward and act, and (3) Recognition by all change managers of the need to listen, evaluate and implement the contributions suggested from the engineering departments. These challenges, in addition to demanding the integration of all social actors, especially because today, we are facing a crisis in many senses, political, economic and health; But there is a crisis that few speak about environmentally, and it is the one, which urgently needs to be made visible; and it is precisely there, where engineers from each of their disciplines, must intervene to contribute to the generation of changes.