Interdisciplinary Nature of the Activity:

Greenhouse gas emission stabilization and reductions will require involvement across the broad range of industries, technologies and disciplines that make up the Founder Society constituencies (i.e. fossil fuel emission reductions can be achieved over time by adopting alternative energy sources in a handful of major technology areas, e.g., transport, electricity, buildings and industry).

Technical experts have engaged from all of the societies involved with the project.  The group collectively is working with expertise from fuels, extraction of raw materials, process development and design.

Unique Aspects of Our Approach: 

We are bringing together our memberships which are providing expertise from the engineering community along the entire supply chain of energy: from extraction, to use, to development of new technologies. This project is outside of "business as usual" of the proposing organization. We can always do joint conferences and meetings. We are creating leverage, common messages that will be delivered to a variety of audiences. 

We are also providing an international perspective. The Founders Societies have members involved in every level of industry, government and professional education, producers of standards and practices governing industrial and infrastructure activities through their full life cycles, and capability to advocate and educate on public policy issues.  We would be differentiated from others. Because we are trans-disciplinary and international in nature, we can offer policy input, we can access more experts in more disciplines and in more job functions (academic as well as small business, as well as industry, as well as consulting).

The visibility of a major climate change effort by the societies representing the major engineering disciplines would significantly improve the public’s perception of engineers.

A great deal can be accomplished—and a vital public service performed--with the active involvement of the Founder Societies in overcoming technical obstacles to greenhouse gas management. Furthermore, this project is interdisciplinary. The project teams that are working on the energy electric power segment and transportation have expertise provided from the various disciplines the founder societies represent. As the buildings team is formed and launched in 2009, it is clear that the Founder Societies will welcome participation of other societies in this initiative and will explore the extensive ongoing activities of other societies who have initiated activities in the buildings area.