Memorandum 160
Submission from the Engineering Professors'
Council
SUMMARY
- The Engineering Professors' Council represents
the interests of engineering in higher education. It has over
1,600 members in virtually all of the UK universities that teach
engineering. They are all either professors or Heads of departments.
- It has as its mission the promotion of
excellence in engineering higher education teaching and research.
- It includes academics with interest in
teaching and research in geo engineering.
- This evidence refers to the geo engineering
in the construction, extractive and environmental (including water
resources) industries. It focuses on teaching and research undertaken
at universities.
- The recommendations are to:
- Recognise the contribution that geo engineers
will make to the impact of climate change on the built environment,
and to developing innovative solutions to make use of the ground
for CO2 storage and as source of energy.
- Ensure that there is adequate research
funding into geo engineering related challenges such as those
associated with the effects of extreme events such as subsidence
damage due to ground movements, failures of natural and made slopes,
and changes to the ground water regime; the impact of rising ground
water levels on subsurface structures such as tunnels, basements
and structural foundations; and the impact of rising sea levels
on flood and sea defences.
- Ensure that there is adequate funding for
specialist advanced programmes to combat the skills shortages
and gaps in geo engineering to ensure that the government, which
is a major beneficiary of much of geo engineering work because
it is related to the infrastructure that underpins the economy,
provides core funding for education it ensures that innovative
solutions are developed and exploited for the benefit of the public
sector and that knowledge can be exported.
1. Introduction
1.1 Geo engineering has various meanings
that includes the large scale engineering options which aim to
remove CO2 directly from the air, for example, through ocean fertilisation,
the use of the ground as a means of storing CO2, the abstraction
of fossil fuels, the use of ground as a construction material
and the use of groundwater as a resource.
1.2 This evidence for the case study into
geo engineering refers to engineering that is concerned with the
impacts of climate change on the ground in the construction, extractive
and environmental (including water resources) industries. It focuses
on teaching and research undertaken at universities.
2. The current and potential roles of engineering
and engineers in geo-engineering solutions to climate change
2.1 Geo engineers are professional engineers
who are concerned with the impacts of climate change on the ground
in their work in the construction, extractive and environmental
(including water resources) industries. These include the effects
of extreme events such as subsidence damage due to ground movements,
failures of natural and made slopes, and changes to the ground
water regime; the impact of rising ground water levels on subsurface
structures such as tunnels, basements and structural foundations;
and the impact of rising sea levels on flood and sea defences.
2.2 Geo engineers will be engaged in adapting
existing geo structures such as foundations, tunnels, retaining
walls and slopes to the impact of rising ground water levels and
extreme events; applying mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate
the impact of these effects; and developing innovative solutions
to ground related problems associated with the built and natural
environment.
2.3 They will also be involved in producing
innovative uses of the ground as a source of energy, a means of
carbon capture and storage, and assisting in bridging the gap
between the current fossil fuel economy and the future hydrogen
economy.
2.4 Note that geo engineers, according to
the Home Office UK Border Agency (2008) [1], are responsible for:
- Design, supervision and interpretation
of ground investigations.
- Mineral exploration and extraction.
- Design and supervision of construction
of geotechnical structures including foundations, slopes, excavations,
tunnels, and retaining walls.
- Design of ground improvement schemes.
- Monitoring the performance of geotechnical
structures.
- Regenerating brownfield sites including
identification of contamination and recommending, designing and
supervising appropriate treatment.
- Regeneration to identify contamination
and recommend, design and supervise appropriate treatment.
- Contamination studies that involve solid,
liquid and hazardous waste including identification, disposal,
treatment and reuse.
- Underground storage of hazardous materials
including nuclear waste and carbon dioxide.
- Development of geothermal energy systems.
- Stability of mineral workings including
underground and open cast mines.
- Investigation of subsidence and recommending
and designing mitigation measures.
- Coastal and river stability.
- Properties of the groundwater including
its chemical properties and pattern of flow.
- Causes and effects of ground water pollution.
- Causes and effects of construction processes
on the ground water.
- Investigating of the impact of changes
to groundwater flow due to the construction of the reservoir.
- Studies of the geological structures in
the vicinity of the reservoir leading to the appropriate location
of the dam and the scope of the design of the foundation of the
dam.
3. National and international research activity,
and research funding, related to geo-engineering, and the relationship
between, and interface with, this field and research conducted
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
3.1 There are a number of consortia funded
by Research Councils, Government Departments and industry that
bring together geo engineers working in universities, research
and development institutions, and industry to create multidisciplinary
teams to investigate the effects of climate change on the ground
and means of reducing greenhouse gases. These include:
- The Tyndall Centre [2] which is the national
UK centre for trans-disciplinary research on climate change which
brings together scientists, economists, engineers and social scientists
to develop sustainable responses to climate change. Research themes
that involve geo engineers include examining ways to adapt to
unavoidable climate change and providing the basis for flexible
adaptation to, and efficient mitigation of changing environmental
conditions around coastlines.
- CLIFFS [3] is an EPSRC-funded network based
at Loughborough University that brings together academics, research
and development agencies, stakeholders, consultants and climate
specialists to improve forecasting of slope instability in the
context of progressive climate change.
- EPSRC have created a £3.2 million
portfolio of collaborative research projects, Building Knowledge
for a Changing Climate [4], to investigate the impacts of climate
change on the built environment, transport and utilities. Research
projects cover areas ranging from risk management to the impact
of climate change on energy supplies, land use and historic buildings.
The major ground engineering project in this portfolio is the
BIONICS [5] (Biological and Engineering Impacts of Climate Change
on Slopes) project at Newcastle University which is a unique facility
consisting of a full-scale, instrumented soil embankment, planted
with a variety of flora with controlled heating and rainfall at
its surface. This replicates road and rail embankments found throughout
the UK.
- The Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage
[6] is a centre of excellence for research and development in
carbon capture and storage looking to containment solutions to
complement emissions reduction strategies.
- The UKCCSC [7] is a consortium of engineering,
technological, natural, environmental, social and economic scientists
from the British Geological Survey and universities that are investigating
the reduction of UK CO2 emissions by decoupling economic growth
from energy use and pollution; rapidly expanding the UK research
capacity in carbon capture and storage, assisting in enabling
the continued use of the UK's coal reserves; investigating fossil
fuel gasification as a bridge to the hydrogen economy; assisting
in bridging the gap between the present day fossil fuel economy
and the future hydrogen economy; and making an overall assessment
of lifecycle costs and emissions of fossil fuel supply options.
3.2 These collaborative projects are mainly
about the consequences of climate change on the environment. There
is little research into mitigation and adaption especially in
the construction industry.
3.3 The UK is the only developed country
in the world that does not have a dedicated construction research
and development funding stream [8]. Therefore there is not a dedicated
stream related to the impact of climate change on construction
and the reduction of greenhouse gases within that sector. Further
geo engineers within the construction industry operate within
a framework of Building Regulations, codes and standards. These
ensure that their work meets minimum standards and follows best
practice. There is no longer a mechanism that directly supports
the development of this framework which includes a framework to
deal with the impacts of climate change and the reduction of greenhouse
gases.
3.4 This was not always the case. The Government
co-funded the Construction Research and Innovation Programme for
about £23 million per annum until 2002 for materials testing,
development of codes and standards, general guidance, network
groups, work underpinning changes to the Building Regulations,
and the development of sustainability assessment tools.
3.5 The current annual public funding of
research for the construction industry is less than £10 million
[8] (Select Committee for Construction Matters, 2008). Additional
annual funds include:
- £32 million for academic-led research
from Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council;
- £5 million for research underpinning
the Building Regulations from Department for Communities and Local
Government;
- £8 million towards asset management
issues from the Highways Agency;
- £4 million into flood management from
the Environment Agency;
- £4.5 million from the Carbon Trust;
and
- Funds available through European Research
Framework Programmes.
3.6 This £63 million of government
funding for the whole of the construction industry compares unfavourably
with the £206 million in France, and £750 million in
Japan.
3.7 The lack of government funding means
that there is no longer sufficient monitoring of the performance
of new geo products and processes to understand their behaviour,
there is little funding to share best practice especially from
overseas and there is a limited engagement in the development
of European standards. The National Platform for the Built Environment
was launched in 2005 to mirror the European Platform but without
adequate seed funding. These examples demonstrate the impact the
lack of core funding can have on a sector.
3.8 Research into geo engineering in the
construction sector has to compete for the limited funds for that
sector. Hence research into adaption and mitigation in the geo
engineering sector is limited.
3.9 We recommend that:
3.9.1 The government creates a dedicated
funding stream for construction related research that includes
research into developing innovative solutions to ground related
issues arising from climate change and provides data to enhance
the framework for the mitigation of the impact of climate change
on geo engineering structures.
4. The provision of university courses and
other forms of training relevant to geo-engineering in the UK
4.1 Geo engineers provide professional services
within the construction, extractive and environmental industries.
In order to act as professional engineers they have to complete
a degree programme. These degree programmes can be accredited
by one of the professional institutions that represent the interests
of the members (eg ICE, CIWEM, Geol Soc, IMMM). Hence geo engineers
can be chartered engineers, chartered geologists or chartered
environmental scientists.
4.2 Geo engineering covers a variety of
careers [1]:
- A geoenvironmental engineer is someone
who deals with environmental aspects of the ground.
- A geotechnical engineer is someone who
deals with engineering the ground in the construction industry.
- A geological advisor is someone who deals
with geological aspects of the ground.
- A geological analyst-a term used to describe
a geoscientist who specialises in geological aspects.
- A geologist/hydrogeologist describe anyone
working in the field of geology or hydrogeology.
- A geology/reservoir engineer is someone
who specialises in geological aspects of reservoir engineering.
- A geophysical specialist is someone who
specialises in the use of geophysics as an exploration tool especially
in mineral exploration.
- A geoscientist is someone who is involved
in analysing the chemical aspects of the ground.
- An engineering geologist is someone who
deals with engineering the ground who has specialist geological
knowledge.
- And a contaminated land specialist is someone
who deals with environmental aspects of contaminated ground.
4.3 Thus there are a number of pathways
to becoming a professional geo engineer but in the majority of
cases it starts with a bachelor degree in civil engineering, mining
engineering, highway engineering, geology, engineering geology,
earth sciences, environmental sciences, physics or maths. There
are two universities offering dedicated programmes in engineering
geology or applied geology. There are 73 HEIs offering accredited
undergraduate programmes in civil engineering which will include
the core subject of geotechnical engineering. There are 39 universities
offering undergraduate courses in geosciences including geology
of which 21 are accredited by Geological Society.
4.4 Geo engineering is a specialist area,
an area that deals with uncertainty. The ground is spatially variable
both in type and properties which means that geo engineers have
to have underlying knowledge in a range of disciplines in order
to tackle the challenges created by construction activity, climate
change, mineral extraction, and ground water regimes. This specialist
knowledge is either developed in advance courses in higher education
or in work based education.
4.5 Thus most geo engineers have to extend
their education to complete either an MEng (in civil engineering)
or an MSc/PhD in soil mechanics, rock mechanics, geotechnical
engineering, engineering geology, geophysics, hydrogeology, or
other ground related discipline.
4.6 A key concern of the industry is the
decline in the number of specialist advanced programmes, a decline
in the number of places on these advanced programmes and the lack
of funding for these programmes. For example, EPSRC has recently
announced that it will no longer fund traditional MSc programmes.
This has led to a skills gap which is has been made worse by the
skills shortage. Hence the inclusion of geo engineers on the Home
Office Key Worker List [1].
4.7 This skills issue is a particular problem
in the construction industry. The Select Committee on Construction
Matters in its 2007-08 [8] report states that the high level of
fragmentation and reliance on sub-contracting, combined with the
project-based and itinerant nature of most work, the low profit
margins and cyclical demand, create a strong disincentive for
firms to invest in people. It is clear, however, that the professional
services sector makes a significant contribution to the industry
which produces some 70% of the manufactured wealth of the UK,
and is responsible for some £3.5 billion worth of exports
per annum. Hence there is a strong business case for investment
in skills. Geo engineering represents about 13% of all the professional
engineering services in the construction industry [9].
4.8 We recommend that:
4.8.1 The government produce adequate funding
for specialist advanced programmes in geo engineering that meet
the challenges of the geo engineering industries. This will help
resolve the skills gap and skills shortages. The government is
a major beneficiary of much of geo engineering work therefore
by providing core funding for education it ensures that innovative
solutions are developed and exploited for the benefit of the public
sector and that knowledge can be exported.
5. The status of geo-engineering technologies
in government, industry and academia
5.1 Geo engineers have to deal with a complex
particulate material that has the largest range of properties
of any material. Geo failures can be catastrophic (eg landslides,
earthquakes) affecting communities and the built environment.
Geo materials are essential to the built environment and a prime
source of energy. There have been significant developments in
predicting the behaviour of ground through the development of
constitutive models based on quality tests and field observations,
and the application of those models in sophisticated programmes.
Much of this has developed in research institutions and universities
with government funding. Indeed public sector funding of geo engineering
research has been essential to develop the underlying science
which is iterative by nature.
5.2 There is a critical need, especially
with the impact of climate change, to monitor the performance
of geotechnical structures given that knowledge is needed to develop
codes and standards and improve our understanding of the behaviour
of these structures.
5.3 Industry has led the way in developing
innovative processes in dealing with geo materials whether it
be improved methods of extracting energy in situ from fossil
fuels, developing more efficient methods of extracting fossil
fuels, making use of the ground as a source of energy, improvements
in construction processes and more effective and efficient geo
structures.
5.4 We recommend that:
5.4.1 The government provides adequate research
funding to continue the successful development of innovate solutions
to ground related problems. This is especially important as solutions
will be needed to adapt existing geo engineering structures to
mitigate the effects of climate change.
6. Geo-engineering and engaging young people
in the engineering profession
6.1 Engineers and scientists working in
geo engineering are engaged in promoting geo engineering through
company schemes, articles in NCE Insite magazine, RAEng Ambassador
Scheme, Professional Institutions' career events, EPSRC Public
Understanding Projects, and ConstructionSkills Constructionarium.
7. The role of engineers in informing policy-makers
and the public regarding the potential costs, benefits and research
status of different geo-engineering schemes
7.1 All structures are built on, in or with
ground: the largest structures in the world involve the ground
(eg dams, surface and subsurface mines); road and rail networks
rely on earth structures (eg embankments, tunnels, cuttings) to
function; communication, energy and water networks are constructed
underground; and the major building materials of concrete, steel
and bricks evolve from the ground. All geo engineering activity
impacts in some way on ground water; and climate change will have
an impact on the ground water. All primary resources and fossil
fuels are derived from the ground.
7.2 Geo engineers make a significant contribution
to the construction industry which contributes 8.7% (2006) of
the UK economy's gross value-added (GVA) which, in 2006, was worth
over £100 billion [8]. This is more than twice the GVA produced
by the energy, automotive and aerospace sectors combined. It generates
some £10 billion of exports each year which includes some
£3.8 million from the professional services.
7.3 The construction industry is a "manufacturing"
industry in that it designs, builds and maintains a product (eg
bridges, tall buildings). However, its products cannot be exported
(its skills and knowledge in design and construction can), all
of its products contain an element of originality especially in
the area of geo engineering. These products create the built environment
which represents some 70% of UK manufactured wealth.
7.4 Fossil fuels account for some 90% of
the UK's energy supply (UK Energy Sector Indicators, 2007) [10].
It is expected that geo engineers will assist in the continued
use of the UK's coal reserves; investigate fossil fuel gasification
as a bridge to the hydrogen economy; assist in bridging the gap
between the present day fossil fuel economy and the future hydrogen
economy; and make an overall assessment of lifecycle costs and
emissions of fossil fuel supply options.
7.5 Therefore it is expected that geo engineers
would be represented in a number of government departments and
be part of the decision making process. This is not the case.
7.6 We recommend that:
7.7 The government appoints engineers with
practical experience to advise departments on all geo engineering
related matters. This includes the development of policy and the
implementation of that policy.
8. Conclusions
8.1 The EPC welcomes the Select Committee's
Inquiry and considers both that it is timely and that it deals
with issues of high importance for the future of the UK. As a
body representing the interests of practitioners in Higher Education
including those that undertake research and teaching into geo
engineering, we would like to make the following RECOMMENDATIONS
and thus urge the Government to:
8.1.1 Recognise the contribution that geo
engineers will make to the impact of climate change on the built
environment, and to developing innovative solutions to make use
of the ground for CO2 storage and as source of energy.
8.1.2 Ensure that there is adequate research
funding into geo engineering related challenges.
8.1.3 Ensure that there is adequate funding
for specialist advanced programmes to combat the skills shortages
and gaps in geo engineering.
8.2 We would be delighted to meet the Select
Committee and discuss the issues involved at greater length.
9. References
1 Skilled Shortage Sensible: The recommended
shortage occupation lists for the UK and Scotland Migration; Migration
Advisory Committee, September 2008, UK Border Agency, Home Office
2 Tyndall Centre (HQ), Zuckerman Institute
for Connective Environmental Research, School of Environmental
Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
3 Climate Impact Forecasting for Slopes; http://cliffs.lboro.ac.uk/
4 Buildings: Building knowledge for a changing
climate; http://www.ukcip.org.uk/
5 BIONICS http://www.ncl.ac.uk/bionics/
6 Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/sccs
7 UK Carbon Capture and Storage Consortium http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/ccs/UKCCSC
8 House of Commons Business and Enterprise
Committee: Construction matters, Ninth Report of Session 2007-08,
Volume I
9 Survey of UK Construction Professional Services
2005/06; Construction Industry Council (CIC)
10 UK energy sector indicators 2007 http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/statistics/publications/indicators/page39558.html
October 2008
| 
