ABSTRACT
Sustainability is maintaining or improving the material and social conditions for human health and the environment over time without exceeding the ecological capabilities that support them. Energy is one of the main drivers of technology and development, and energy demand is continually growing world-wide. Energy and other processes are changing Earth’s climate and hence the ways humans live now and in the future. Sustainable engineering in all areas, including energy technology, is important for mitigating climate change and other environmental impacts, creating wealth and good living standards, and fostering social harmony.
This chapter provides an introduction and overview of sustainable engineering, which forms the focus of this book, through coverage of sustainability, natural earth cycles, climate change and global warming, sustainable engineering, sustainable energy management, and sustainable development and sustainable development goals. Featured throughout are the three key dimensions of sustainability: economic, environmental, and societal. The discussion of sustainable engineering is broad, covering sustainable engineering principles and techniques, each of the dimensions of sustainability, the ties of sustainability to process intensification, energy and artificial intelligence, and views regarding sustainable engineering.
