Goals & Objectives of FSCM | AIChE

Goals & Objectives of FSCM

Goal

To assure that engineering communities, educators, the general public, and public policy makers have the best-available information, analysis, sound engineering advice and recommendations regarding the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change.

Project Objectives

Enable enhanced engagement of the Founders Societies and engineering communities by answering the following questions:

  1. What is the best way to manage and mitigate GHG emissions associated with the use of energy systems for electricity and transportation and buildings.
  2. What are the new and future technologies and the gaps and barriers to implementation?
  3. What are the metrics and system boundaries that should be used to monitor and manage progress towards the emission targets (including technical and societal dimensions)?

The project will impart non-biased, balanced technical expertise into both technical and non-technical programs conducted outside of the Founder Societies ongoing efforts on Technologies for Carbon Management, provide avenues to further promote and disseminate the excellent activities the societies have underway in carbon management, and serve as the premier bridge between engineering expertise in Carbon Management Technology and associated societal impacts of Carbon Management and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Issues.

Methodology and Approach

The Initiative will use the best systems engineering and socioeconomic practices to evaluate technology and policy options including technical, economic and societal dimensions.

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).

Bringing together the expertise of the five engineering societies is key to the success of this initiative. Therefore, it is imperative to have expertise and perspective integrated from all of the engineering disciplines involved.  Each society has been represented in working to provide their expertise and this has led to changes in the participants as part of the work to bring together the appropriate team to carryout the task.  The group collectively is working with expertise from fuels, extraction of raw materials, process development and design.

A quality team has been assembled that provides an excellent basis for implementing the proposed scope of work. This effort focuses on leveraging the expertise of the different disciplines and crossing the discipline boundaries. To help meet this goal, virtual meetings, teleconferences, face-to-face meetings, and Sharepoint will all being used to the fullest extent.

Unique Aspects of Our Approach

This project is unique from individual society initiatives as it has been collaboratively developed from the initiation of the project. 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.

Background

Leadership