In this book we consider ways in which mining companies do and can/should respect the human rights of communities affected by mining operations. We examine what "can and should" means and to whom, in a variety of mostly Peruvian contexts, and how engineers engage in "normative" practices that may interfere with the communities' best interests. We hope to raise awareness of the complexity of issues at stake and begin the necessary process of critique-of self and of the industry in which an engineer chooses to work. This book aims to alert engineering students to the price paid not only by...

Engineers work in an increasingly complex entanglement of ideas, people, cultures, technology, systems and environments. Today, decisions made by engineers often have serious implications for not only their clients but for society as a whole and the natural world. Such decisions may potentially influence cultures, ways of living, as well as alter ecosystems which are in delicate balance. In order to make appropriate decisions and to co-create ideas and innovations within and among the complex networks of communities which currently exist and are shaped by our decisions, we need to regain our...

Mining has been entangled with the development of communities in all continents since the beginning of large-scale resource extraction. It has brought great wealth and prosperity, as well as great misery and environmental destruction. Today, there is a greater awareness of the urgent need for engineers to meet the challenge of extracting declining mineral resources more efficiently, with positive and equitable social impact and minimal environmental impact. Many engineering disciplines-from software to civil engineering-play a role in the life of a mine, from its inception and planning to its...

Engineers work in an increasingly complex entanglement of ideas, people, cultures, technology, systems and environments. Today, decisions made by engineers often have serious implications for not only their clients but for society as a whole and the natural world. Such decisions may potentially influence cultures, ways of living, as well as alter ecosystems which are in delicate balance. In order to make appropriate decisions and to co-create ideas and innovations within and among the complex networks of communities which currently exist and are shaped by our decisions, we need to regain our...

Needs and Feasibility: A Guide for Engineers in Community Projects -- The Case of Waste for Life is the story of Waste for Life (WFL). WFL is a not-for-profit organization that works to promote poverty-reducing solutions to environmental problems, and its educational branch is an international consortium of universities in six countries, involving students in support of community development projects. WFL currently works in Lesotho and Argentina. We present the story of the development of WFL in each country as a case-based guide to engineers, professors and students interested in community...

Engineers, Technology and Society presents topics intended to aid the practicing engineer in reflecting upon the nature and purpose of their own practice within the engineering profession and how that is related to and implicated in social, economic and political issues. The series will include external relations between engineering, economic systems and social and political practices, as well as power structures and working conditions within the organisation. In an increasingly competitive and hostile environment in which practicing engineers are forced to spend their lives fighting for...

Part II: Engineering Decisions in the 21st Century Engineers work in an increasingly complex entanglement of ideas, people, cultures, technology, systems and environments. Today, decisions made by engineers often have serious implications for not only their clients but for society as a whole and the natural world. Such decisions may potentially influence cultures, ways of living, as well as alter ecosystems which are in delicate balance. In order to make appropriate decisions and to co-create ideas and innovations within and among the complex networks of communities which currently exist and...