Institution of Civil Engineers | Record
ICE
Engineers must work in harmony with nature says new ICE President
New ICE President Anusha Shah delivered her Presidential Address on 7 November.
She outlined her vision for civil engineers, urging them to work in harmony with nature to reach net zero.
Shah: Called for a nature based, people-positive approach from engineersThe focus of her presidential year will be to make civil engineering a nature and people-positive profession.
She believes adopting a “nature and people-positive” approach will enable engineers to address biodiversity loss and help reverse environmental decline.
Shah urged ICE members to stay curious and question whether every project is necessary and to prioritise nature-based and repurposed solutions when possible.
Building connections will be another key theme of Shah’s presidency.
She stressed the importance of collaborating across industries and across borders.
She said: “I want to bring the global north and global south closer together… and I want the governance, planning and strategic thinking in wealthier nations to be available for the benefit of all.”
A short film accompanied Shah’s address. It highlighted the close links between infrastructure and nature and said that society is facing twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, which have been exacerbated by population growth and social inequality. It urged civil engineers to do more to address these issues.
“Building assets which do less harm to our natural world is not good enough anymore,” said Shah.
“To put it simply, we don’t have an option but to be nature-positive,” she added.
She also urged engineers to ask themselves whether they are designing in an inclusive manner; whether they are considering circularity; and whether they are leveraging the power of data and artificial intelligence.
The film which accompanied the address also includes insights from ICE past president and National Infrastructure Commission chair Sir John Armitt, London mayor Sadiq Khan; London Climate Resilience Review and Green Finance chair Emma Howard Boyd and Dragons’ Den investor and entrepreneur Deborah Meaden. It also gives examples of projects that exemplify Shah’s ethos.
- Watch the full presidential address here: bit.ly/3QXLPfM and watch the accompanying film here: https://bit.ly/3SxBTuA