Call for Action
We, the undersigned, having considered a number of important issues related to the theme of preparing for a sustainable society, affirm the call of the World Commission on Environment and Development for all nations of the world to collaborate in creating a more sustainable way of life. It is evident to us that time is running out, and that we in Canada should greatly accelerate our efforts to make our way of life more sustainable. Our national and international efforts should be directed:
To reduce population growth through the creation of conditions (economic, social and political) which eliminate pressures for large families.
To create a sustainable economic world order which affords much greater justice and quality within the human family and reduces the abuse of the natural ecology.
To protect farmland and those who work it because we will need every square inch to grow enough food for the burgeoning population of the planet, expected to double between now and early in the next century.
To promote much greater efficiency in the use of materials and energy and to greatly increase the recycling and use of renewable energy sources.
This concerns all disciplines and it is a whole new frontier in engineering and science that is receiving far too little attention. We as engineers and scientists have to become more socially and environmentally literate, and must use this knowledge to adjust our theory and practice accordingly. We recognize that this is a necessary though not sufficient condition for a more sustainable way of life. There is no technological fix to our current challenges. Technological transformations must go hand-in-hand with socio-cultural, economic and political ones.
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