2024: CAETS Statement on 2024 Symposium on Carbon Neutral Technologies and Society
2023: CAETS Statement on 2022 Energy Report
2023: CAETS Statement on Breakthrough Technologies for Healthcare
2022: CAETS Statement on Invasion of Ukraine
2021: CAETS Statement on COP26
CAETS 2020: Engineering a Better World – Smart Society [Seoul, Korea]
CAETS 2020 concluded that sustainable development of smart societies – societies in which data-driven decisions, by both leaders and citizens, continually improve economic prosperity, social well-being, sustainability, and governance – cannot be just technology-driven, but also must be human-driven, and must be based upon values of inclusion, diversity, and openness.
CAETS 2019: Engineering a Better World – The Next 100 Years [Stockholm, Sweden]
CAETS 2019 was dedicated to discussing the role and responsibilities of engineering in solving the global grand challenges that we know will shape the fate of mankind long into the future. Participants identified a dire need for inclusive innovation that effectively balances the environmental and social agendas. Tomorrows’ leaders need a clarity of vision and uncompromising focus on equality – at all levels. Tomorrows’ leaders also need to learn how to manage complicated collaborations. Engineering leadership is about developing and promoting technology for a better world but it is also about leading with knowledge, skill, insight and courage.
CAETS 2018: Sustainable Development of Agricultural and Forestry Systems [Montevideo, Uruguay]
CAETS 2018 focused on the global challenge of sustainability in agriculture and forestry systems and identified two pillars for action: mitigation and adaptation. Success requires sustainable decision making starting at the local level and extending to the global level, demanding interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration at every level.
CAETS 2015: Pathways to Sustainability in the Energy, Mobility and Health Care Sectors [New Delhi, India]
The deliberations during the 2015 CAETS convocation established that achieving long-term sustainability in a business-as-usual mode is impossible in the energy, mobility and healthcare sectors. Higher investments are needed for R&D and technology demonstrations, particularly for options close to commercial maturity and those requiring scale-up. Commitment from policy makers, stakeholders, the academic community and market leaders are vital for achieving public and market acceptability.
CAETS 2014: Engineering and the Future of Humankind [Beijing, China]
CAETS 2014 participants agreed that with the rapid development of economic activity and population growth, humankind will face major challenges in areas such as resource management, energy, sustainable development, disease control and climate change. The need for technological innovation will be increasingly urgent, and may require disruptive transformations in some areas. Advancements always come at some cost, and the cost-benefit ratio is largely determined by engineering.
CAETS 2013: Educating Engineers [Budapest, Hungary]
CAETS 2013 participants recognized that the engineering community has an essential role in promoting central issues of engineering education, such as quality of education, accreditation of engineering qualifications, regional agreements, establishing substantial equivalence, curriculum (including interdisciplinary system-based subjects) and innovation. Relevant recommendations were identified relating to these issues.
CAETS 2012: Urban Development and Public Transportation: Improved Understanding of the Interdependencies [Zurich, Switzerland]
Key topics for CAETS 2012 included Urbanization, Land Use and Transport; Planning and Implementation of Public Transport Systems; Innovation in Transport Systems; and Inter-modality and Integration in Transport Systems. Recommendations were formulated for consideration by governments, national transport and urban planning authorities, and other public and private sector organizations.
CAETS 2011: Engineering Analysis and Management to Reduce Risks [Mexico City, Mexico]
CAETS 2011 participants identified five key themes: 1) The limited influence of engineers in risk prevention; 2) The importance of proper planning to mitigate risk; 3) The necessity to recognize that systems are coupled, either strongly or weakly; 4) There are many opportunities for innovation in risk assessment and prevention; and 5) There is a strong knowledge base that should be exploited to improve risk assessment and prevention techniques.
CAETS 2010: Sustainable Food Systems – Toward Food for All [Copenhagen, Denmark]
CAETS 2010 participants observed that the world can produce more food and can ensure that it is used more efficiently and equitable. To do so, however, food system stakeholders must focus on solving the central problems associated with securing a sustainable food system – first and foremost, to secure access to plentiful energy at an economical cost through improvements in energy efficiency and use of modern technologies throughout the whole value chain from farm to fork.
CAETS 2009: Global Natural Resources – Management and Sustainability [Calgary, Alberta, Canada]
CAETS 2009 addressed the grand challenges and opportunities associated with the sustainable management of natural resources. Participants noted that new approaches are required for managing global resources and the supply chains they feed in order to ensure that humanity’s needs are fulfilled for current and future generations. A balance must be struck between economic gain derived from resource exploitation and utilization and the impacts on society and the environment.
CAETS 2008: Delta Technology for a Sustainable and Habitable Planet [Delft and The Hague, Netherlands]
CAETS 2008 addressed sustainable development of the world’s deltas, which will accommodate an estimated 70% of the global population by 2050. Discussion focused on the effects of climate change and land subsidence in these regions and their interaction with “delta technology.” Participants concluded that prior to implementing technological solutions, societal implications must be considered, taking into account all the spatial, economic and administrative consequence of the use and management of water and soil that will lead to the most sustainable solution.
CAETS 2007: Environment and Sustainable Growth [Tokyo, Japan]
CAETS 2007 participants noted that much progress has been made in controlling air, water and other environmental pollution in developed countries, but that air pollution remains a serious problem, especially in rapidly developing countries, that millions of the planet’s inhabitants still lack clean drinking water and sanitation, and that environmental noise is a constraining factor for sustainable development. Discussion focused particularly on the impacts of increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere resulting from human activities as the world economy grows.
CAETS 2006: The Role of Hydrogen in Our Energy Future [Brussels, Belgium]
Realizing that the problem of supply, distribution and utilization of available energy sources is of paramount importance for the sustainable development of modern society, CAETS 2006 focused on the prospective use of hydrogen as an energy carrier. Recommendations on the use and potential of hydrogen were formulated, as were some general considerations on the energy problems the world is facing.
CAETS 2005: Oceans and the World’s Future [Cairns, Queensland, Australia]
CAETS 2005 examined the scientific, technological and engineering issues that link the world’s future with oceans. Key themes included: Climate change in the ocean is a crucial issue; Human use of the marine environment must be made sustainable; Combined social and technological approaches are needed to ensure the future of world fisheries; New technologies are emerging to enhance the efficiency of marine transport; Global petroleum demand is driving ambitious new offshore exploration and extraction technologies; Oceans can provide new resources of energy and minerals; We must develop new technologies for monitoring and data processing; and We must develop and exploit emerging technologies for disaster reduction.