FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

PEB 702: ENGINEERING AND

SOCIETY
ASSIGNMENT 3 CASE ANALYSIS
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN

GROUP MEMBERS:
KUNAAL KAVITESH NAND – 2017140832
KRISHAN NAND – 2017140830
PAVIN PRAVESH NARAYAN – 2017142134
KEVIN KUSHAL RAJ – 2016134725
JESSICA RAKESH KUMAR – 2017142652

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TABLE OF CONTENT

PAGE NO.
Title Page 1
Step 1: Identification and Discussion of Issue 3-4
 Establishing Facts 3
 Implication of Code of Ethics 3-4
 General Issue 4
Step 2: Identification of Courses of Actions 5-6
 Problem Analysis 5
 Identification of Possible Actions 6
 Recommended Actions 6
Summary 7
Reference 7

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STEP 1: IDENTIFICATION AND DISCUSSION OF ISSUE

ESTABLISHING FACTS
1. If engineers relied solely on ethical egoism for moral reasoning then there is no reason why
they should look beyond their employer's interest in preparing an EIS unless they
themselves would be adversely affected by the project. However, engineers are expected
by the community to go beyond self-interest. At a minimum, the code of ethics should
prevent an engineer from producing a favorable EIS for the client/employer if this will mean
that public welfare is endangered.

2. Despite debate within the Australian Institution of Engineers, the Code of Ethics deliberately
leaves out specific mention of environment in the tenet above leaving it up to the individual
engineer to decide whether environmental protection is an essential ingredient of
community welfare.

3. What is more, an EIS is merely a tool for identifying environmental impacts and adverse
environmental consequences do not mean a project will not be approved. These
consequences are weighed against the wealth to be created by the project and in most
nations, priority is given to the wealth generating potential of the project.

IMPLICATION OF CODE OF ETHICS

1. Engineering codes of ethics also generally include tenets such as "engineers shall act with
fairness, honesty and in good faith..." However, most engineers preparing an EIS would not
consider making a judgement within the range of scientific credibility as being unfair or
dishonest
2. Australian code of ethics states that “Be prepared to explain your work and reasoning”.
Therefore, an engineer (he/she) should be able to justify their possible cause of action on a
particular project, considering the positive and negative effect on the environment and the
people as a whole. Hence, an engineer should carry out proper investigation and research
before establishing a particular solution.

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 3. In addition to Australian code of ethics ‘’In identifying sustainable outcomes consider all
options in terms of their economic, environmental and social consequences’’. Never the
less, an engineer should not make biased decisions considering only the advantages and
also considering the negative impacts.

GENERAL ISSUES
In the Sydney Harbor Tunnel EIS, the problem was said to be traffic congestion. Traffic built up
and slowed down on the approaches to the Sydney Harbor Bridge, causing delays to people
trying to cross the Harbor by motor vehicle. A second crossing was therefore justified on the
grounds of traffic congestion, and alternatives framed, in terms of providing better road access
across the Harbor.

Therefore, the second issue raised by John Gerofi, an engineer who conducted an inquiry into
the tunnel proposal for the Council, stated that; "The inquiry can find no rational explanation as
to why competent and respected consultants employing professional engineers and other
qualified staff would have produced an EIS with so many questionable assumptions which
favoured the project, and with so many deficiencies.” Whereas, he clearly mentioned that the
consulting company (Cameron McNamarra) which was hired by Transfield-kumagai to prepare
the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was edited and selectively generated by
overestimating the benefits and underestimating the environmental cost. Professional
engineers did not question the report as they were in favour of the project. Mr John Gerofi said
that the consulting company (Cameron McNamarra) breached the code of ethics by not putting
public interest first.

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STEP 2: IDENTIFICATION OF COURSES OF ACTIONS

PROBLEM ANALYSIS

What is the problem?

 Traffic built up and slowed down on the approaches to the Sydney Harbor Bridge, causing
delays to people trying to cross the Harbor by motor vehicle. As a result of this, there
were more noise pollution and further resulting in more fuel consumption.

Who is addressing the problem?

 John Gerofi, an engineer who conducted an inquiry into the tunnel proposal for the
Council, stated that; "The inquiry can find no rational explanation as to why competent
and respected consultants employing professional engineers and other qualified staff
would have produced an EIS with so many questionable assumptions which favored the
project, and with so many deficiencies”.
 The above point mentioned sates that John Gerofi conducted an investigation where his
finding clearly showed that professional engineers and other professional staff where so
much in favor of the project that they have neglected the environmental impacts and
have mainly taken the benefits of the project.

Why is it important to solve the problem?

 If the tunnel is constructed the major issue of traffic congestion will be solved, together
with the issue of noise pollution and on top of that 13 million liters of fuel will be saved
yearly.
 General public will be able to travel to their destination more easily as they will have an
alternative route to travel which will be way shorter.
 In addition, the problem stated by John Gerofi should be solved so that the impacts on
the environment could be minimized and treated fairly.

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IDENTIFICATION OF POSSIBLE ACTIONS

 The North Sydney Municipal Council and the Society for Social Responsibility in
Engineering, should appoint an engineer from some other engineering consulting firm to
further investigate the accuracy of the given Environment Impact Statement (EIS) by
Camron McNamara. To add on, both reports should be compared by the relevant
authorities considering the most relevant and fine report where the pros and cons have
been equally considered. Thus, if the statement stated my John Gerofi is factual then his
complain should be taken seriously.
 A possible solution stated by the Mayor of North Sydney, Mr. Ted Mark was that it
would be a better option to use the same money invested in the tunnel could be used to
develop a new city and encourage the movement of people and businesses to other
parts of the metropolitan area. Hence, would create less traffic congestions within cities
and create more job opportunities.

RECOMMENDED ACTION

To begin with, it is recommendable that The North Sydney Municipal Council and the Society
for Social Responsibility in Engineering, should hire an engineer from some other engineering
consulting firm to further investigate the accuracy of the given Environment Impact Statement
(EIS). From our point of view, it can be said that, the engineers should proceed with the project
because after doing in-depth research it showed that the positive outcomes outweigh the
negative impacts. In relation, Mr. Judd, a member of the Roads and Traffic Authority, reviewed
and accepted that the project should be proceeded as the Cost Benefit Analysis Statement
(CBA) supports it.

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SUMMARY

In a nutshell, it can be said that engineers should not be biased and put the public first. They
should make decisions which are fair/just, considering the positive outcomes together with the
negative impacts. These engineers should not have piece minded approach to a scenario and
think about the long-term benefits of projects. We as engineers should abide the code of ethics
because the public look up to engineers.

REFERENCE

 Uoweduau. 2019. Uoweduau. [Online]. [4 April 2019]. Available from:

https://www.uow.edu.au/~sharonb/esd/Florencetalk-2.html

 Visitsydneyaustraliacomau. 2019. Visitsydneyaustraliacomau. [Online]. [4 April
2019]. Available from: http://www.visitsydneyaustralia.com.au/sydney-harbour-
tunnel.html

 Uoweduau. 2019. Uoweduau. [Online]. [4 April 2019]. Available from:

https://www.uow.edu.au/~sharonb/videoinf.html