Engineering Change for the sake of climate, planet & people

Asia watches in awe as the Swiss-invented Solar Impulse breaks a new record for solar powered flight across the Pacific from Japan to Hawaii to illustrate the power of renewable energy. American Elon Musk is reaching new heights of innovation with powerful electric vehicles, accessible solar power and new energy storage systems. Can Asia come up with some innovative means to deal with the global challenge of climate change? When the World Engineers Summit takes place in Singapore this week, you can only hope there’s a lot more than talk. A chance for engineers to show their mettle. Read More

RECORD-BREAKING SOLAR FLIGHT REACHES HAWAII AFTER 5 NIGHTS AND DAYS AIRBORNE WITHOUT FUEL

“I feel exhilarated by this extraordinary journey. I have climbed the equivalent altitude of Mount Everest five times without much rest. The team at the Mission Control Center in Monaco (MCC) was my eyes and my ears… The MCC was battling to give me the possibility to rest and recover, but also maximizing the aircraft’s energy levels and sending me trajectories and flight strategies simulated by computer”, said André Borschberg, “This success fully validates the vision that my partner Bertrand Piccard had after his round-the-world balloon flight to reach unlimited endurance in an airplane without fuel”, he adds.

“What André has achieved is extraordinary from the perspective of a pilot. But furthermore, he has also led the technical team during the construction of this revolutionary prototype”, said Bertrand Piccard, initiator of Solar Impulse and one of the pilots.

To catapult this idea to the next level, Solar Impulse initiated the Future Is Clean campaign, calling on supporters to add their voice to the message on www.futureisclean.org: a website serving as a petition to convince governments around the globe to implement the necessary clean technology solutions and help ensure that the United Nations’ upcoming Conference on Climate Change (COP21) is successful in renewing the Kyoto protocol this December in Paris.

Source: www.solarimpulse.com

World Engineers Conference

21 – 23 July at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, Singapore

Chairman’s Message

Tan Seng Chuan

Climate change is posing massive challenges to the world. Extreme weather episodes are increasing in frequency and intensity around the globe. In Europe, just this year, UK experienced its harshest winter in more than 60 years and one of its worst floods in seven years. In America, the U.S. endured two of its deadliest and costliest storms in the past decade. In Asia, Typhoon Haiyan wrecked devastation in Philippines and resulted in the loss of more than 7,000 human lives.

At home in Singapore, over the past year or so, we recorded our longest dry spell, together with Malaysia and Indonesia. Wherever you are in the world, climate change is no longer a distant issue wreaking havoc in someone else’s backyard. It has become a real and growing problem threatening our comfort, security and in some cases, survival. No region, country or individual is spared from its ill effects.

It is no longer enough for the world to adopt a wait-and-see approach, as climate change will only continue to hurl greater damages our way with inaction or procrastination. Urbanization without restraint of carbon emissions will only cause temperature and seawater levels to rise faster, weather patterns to become more erratic and properties and lives to suffer greater destruction.

But mitigation of as complex and colossal a problem as climate change could never be achieved in isolation. For this reason, IES initiated the World Engineers Summit, or WES, in September 2013, as we see the need to create a platform for engineers and other professionals from around the world to exchange ideas and knowledge that would be vital to driving positive action against the effects of climate change.

As the national society of engineers in a country that places climate change as a critical national issue, IES wants to fulfill our mission to advance and promote the science, art and profession of engineering for the well-being of mankind through WES.

Building on the important conversations initiated at the inaugural event in 2013, WES 2015 will focus on seeding discussions on sustainable urban development for global climate resilience. The event will also present the Climate Change Expo 2015 – a regional showcase of the latest sustainable and green engineering solutions that could act as valuable game-changers in the battle against climate change.

Join us and be part of a driving force that could alter the trajectory of climate change and give the world a sustainable future.

Programme Highlights

Plenary Keynote Speakers:

Dr Bindu N. Lohani, VP Knowledge, Management & Sustainable Development, Asian Development Bank, Philippines

Mr Tan Gee Paw, Chairman, Public Utilities Board, Singapore

Mr Philippe Joubert, Senior Advisor, Non-Executive Director, World Business Council on Sustainable Development

Track 1: Clean Environment & Water Resources

Dr Arab Hoballah, Chief of the Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch, Division of Technology, UNEP

Topic: Clean Environment (Resilient Cities and Lifestyles: Circular Resource Use)

Prof Roger Flaconer, President, International Association of Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR), UK

Topic: Water Resources (Global Water Security Challenges and Opportunities)

Track 2: Sustainable Development & Infrastructure

Dr Cheong Koon Hean, Chief Executive, Housing & Development Board, Singapore

Topic: Smart & Sustainable Towns for Better Living

Mr Antony Sprigg, Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia

Topic: Infrastructure Sustainability – reducing risks and improving social, environmental and economic outcomes

Track 3: Sustainable Energy

Prof Jim Skea, Vice President, Energy Institute, UK

Topic: The Role of Energy Efficiency in Transforming the Global Energy System

Dr John Keung Kam Yin, Chief Executive Officer, Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Singapore

Topic: What is in it for us? — Singapore’s 10-year green building journey

Track 4: Resilience & Adaptation against Climate Change

Dr Norman Lowe, President, Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, UK

Dr Steven Wade, Principal Consultant and Head of Scientific Consultancy, Met Office, UK

Topic: Bridging the Gap: Translating Climate Model Outputs into Useful Information for Climate Adaptation in Cities

Mr Khoo Teng Chye, Executive Director, Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore

Topic: Understanding Climate Resilience in Singapore through the Lens of CLC’s Liveability Framework

Source: www.wes-ies.org/about-wes2015/wes2015/