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Electric vehicles (EVs) are hailed as a solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, but they also face some scepticism and criticism. One of the most common concerns is their safety, especially regarding the risk of fires.

Some online chatters claim that EVs are more likely to catch fire than conventional cars and that their fires are more dangerous and difficult to extinguish. But are these claims based on facts or myths? The Guardian has unveiled a new series of reports, where it has consulted experts and examined hard data where possible to address some of the most common criticisms of electric vehicles.

Myths, realities, and grey areas

The report explores the myths, the realities, and the grey areas. The first question it asks is: should we worry more about fires in electric cars?

The allegations about electric car fires can be divided into two main categories. The first is that electric cars are more likely to catch fire, while the second is that they cause more damage when they do.

If electric cars are more hazardous than petrol or diesel cars, that would have serious implications. For instance, it could mean that car parks need larger spaces to prevent fire spread or that EV owners need to pay higher insurance premiums to cover the extra costs to firefighters. Consumer and market scepticism would be the big hurdle.

There are millions of electric cars on the roads around the world, so some data on the frequency of fires is becoming available, though not comprehensively. Several experts have said that data suggests there is no reason to believe EVs are more prone to catching fire. The opposite is the case.

Much safer than their petrol counterparts

One of the experts who heads the transport at a think tank said that electric cars are much safer than their petrol counterparts and that the many fires in petrol or diesel cars are just not reported.

There are various ways in which fires can occur. In the case of car batteries, energy is stored by the movement of lithium ions within a battery cell. However, if the cells are damaged or there are manufacturing errors that lead to short circuits, chemical reactions can occur, triggering a 'thermal runaway'.

This can cause cells to quickly heat up and release toxic and flammable gas. In contrast, fires in petrol cars may be caused by electrical faults that result in sparks or by engine overheating due to issues with the cooling systems, which can ignite flammable fuel.

In Norway, which has the world’s highest share of electric car sales, there are four to five times more fires in petrol and diesel cars, according to the Directorate for social security and emergency preparedness.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency found this year that there were 3.8 fires per 100,000 electric or hybrid cars in 2022, compared with 68 fires per 100,000 cars for all fuel types. However, the latter figures include arson, which makes comparisons difficult.

Australia’s Department of Defence funded EV FireSafe to investigate the issue. It found a 0.0012% chance of a passenger electric vehicle battery catching fire, compared with a 0.1% chance for internal combustion engine cars.

Elon Musk’s Tesla, the biggest and most prominent EV maker, says that the number of fires on US roads involving Teslas from 2012 to 2021 was 11 times lower per mile than the figure for all vehicles, most of which have petrol or diesel engines.

What to keep in mind?

The reason why some people think that electric cars are more fire-prone becomes clearer when you watch a video of one: they can be furious infernos.

A professor of pure and applied electrochemistry at Newcastle University, who studies batteries and helps to train fire brigades, highlighted the ominous risks of vapour cloud explosions and rocket flames when the gases burst out of cells.

However, he said that their lithium-ion cousins were tarnishing the electric car’s reputation. He had real concerns with electric scooters and bikes that use similar technology but often from unregulated, inexperienced manufacturers or even DIY jobs using internet-sourced parts. (He advised people never to leave scooters charging indoors or unattended.)

Firefighters face a unique challenge when dealing with battery fires in electric vehicles. These fires require more water to extinguish, can burn at much higher temperatures, and are more prone to reigniting compared to traditional fuel-powered vehicles, as noted by EV FireSafe. In response, some fire departments have explored the use of fully submerging electric cars in water tanks as a potential solution.

Based on the data that is currently available, it seems that the likelihood of being involved in an EV fire is lower than that of petrol or diesel cars, despite the higher risk posed once a battery fire is ignited. It is important to note that this may change in the future as more people adopt electric vehicles.

According to a think tank expert, there is a possibility that the frequency of fires in EVs could rise as the batteries on the road become older. However, it seems that they would need to increase significantly to surpass the risk posed by petrol or diesel engines.

Are electric vehicles a fire hazard?

RMIT scientists have shown it is possible to grow fungi in thin sheets that could be used for fire-retardant cladding or even a new kind of fungal fashion.

Mycelium, an incredible network of fungal strands that can thrive on organic waste and in darkness, could be a basis for sustainable fireproofing. RMIT researchers are chemically manipulating its composition to harness its fire-retardant properties.

Associate professor Tien Huynh, an expert in biotechnology and mycology, said they have shown that mycelium can be grown from renewable organic waste.

“Fungi are usually found in a composite form mixed with residual feed material, but we found a way to grow pure mycelium sheets that can be layered and engineered into different uses – from flat panels for the building industry to a leather-like material for the fashion industry,” says Prof Huynh, from the School of Science.

The novel method of creating mycelium sheets that are paper-thin, like wallpaper, works without pulverising the mycelium’s filament network. Instead, they used different growth conditions and chemicals to make the thin, uniform and – importantly – fire-resistant material.

The research team Nattanan (Becky) Chulikavit (left), associate professor Tien Huynh (middle) and associate professor Everson Kandare (right) in their lab at RMIT’s Bundoora campus.

Fungi fireproofing our buildings

The researchers are focused on creating bio-derived, fire-retardant cladding for buildings to prevent tragedies like the Grenfell Tower fire, in which the deadly blaze was accelerated by a highly combustible cladding component.

Associate professor Everson Kandare, an expert in the flammability and thermal properties of biomaterials and co-author of the paper, says the mycelium has strong potential as a fireproofing material.

“The great thing about mycelium is that it forms a thermal protective char layer when exposed to fire or radiant heat. The longer and the higher temperature at which mycelium char survives, the better its use as a fireproof material,” says Prof Kandare.

Beyond being effective, mycelium-based cladding can be produced from renewable organic waste and is not harmful to the environment when burnt, he says.

Where composite cladding panels are used, they usually contain plastics – which produce toxic fumes and heavy smoke when they burn.

“Bromide, iodide, phosphorus and nitrogen-containing fire retardants are effective, but have adverse health and environmental effects. They pose health and environmental concerns, as carcinogens and neurotoxins that can escape and persist in the environment cause harm to plant and animal life,” says Prof Kandare.

“Bioderived mycelium produces naturally occurring water and carbon dioxide.”

Chulikavit shows off the compressed mycelium sheets she created for the project.

Bringing the research to life

This research could eventually lead to improved and eco-friendly cladding for buildings.

“Plastics are quick and easy to produce, whereas fungi is slow to grow and relatively harder to produce at scale,” says Prof Huynh.

“However, we’ve been approached by the mushroom industry about using their fungal-incorporated waste products. Collaborating with the mushroom industry would remove the need for new farms while producing products that meet fire safety needs in a sustainable way.”

The researchers are now looking to create fungal mats reinforced by engineering fibres to delay ignition, reduce the flaming intensity and improve fire safety ranking.

The paper, 'Fireproofing flammable composites using mycelium: Investigating the effect of deacetylation on the thermal stability and fire reaction properties of mycelium' (lead author Nattanan Chulikavit), is published in the journal Polymer Degradation and Stability.

It builds on preliminary research published by the experts in high-ranked international journals, Polymer Degradation and Stability and Nature’s Scientific Reports.

How fireproof fungus can mean buildings are given a sustainable cladding alternative

Architects and artisans have been working tirelessly to completely rebuild the fire-ravaged roof of the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral. They also chose medieval-era techniques to restore the roof to its original form accurately.

And working with hand axes to assemble numerous oak beams for the exact resurrection of the wooden framework has been comparatively more difficult for modern carpenters. "It’s a little mind-bending sometimes,” Peter Henrikson, one of the carpenters, told AP.

Use of medieval-era techniques

Using medieval-era skills is said to be a "deliberate choice" despite the availability of modern tech solutions. The iconic Notre Dame roof caught fire in 2019, and renovation work has been ongoing ever since.

“The aim is to pay tribute to the astounding craftsmanship of the cathedral’s original builders and to ensure that the centuries-old art of hand-fashioning wood lives on,” AP reported.

Carpenters and architects have been given a December 2024 deadline to restore the ravaged roof. They've also used computer models to speed up the ongoing reconstruction work.

Computers assist carpenters in creating detailed drawing plans. This is especially useful for ensuring that the handcrafted chiselled beams fit together properly.

They reported a major milestone in May after the perfect assemblage of timber frames, which was put together at a workshop in western France's Loire Valley. The architects also performed a dry run to test its fit, and it is now ready to be installed atop the cathedral. As many as 1,200 timber trees were chopped to create this frame.

“The objective we had was to restore to its original condition the wooden frame structure that disappeared during the fire of April 15, 2019,” architect Remi Fromont told AP. In 2012, Fromont created detailed drawings of the landmark's original wooden framework.

He adds that the rebuilt work “is the same wooden frame structure of the 13th century. We have exactly the same material: oak. We have the same tools, with the same axes that were used exactly the same tools. We have the same know-how. And soon, it will return to its same place”.

The fire revealed hidden architecture

In April 2019, a massive fire ripped through this 12th-century cathedral for unknown reasons. This 32-metre-high cathedral was one of the tallest in the 12th century.

The fire episode allowed archaeologists to examine the landmark's hidden architectural details.

French researchers discovered iron clamps possibly used during the building's construction. It was noticed that the iron staples still held the cathedral's stones together.

Archaeologists discovered thousands of iron staples placed throughout the cathedral, some of which date back to the early 1160s.

These findings suggested that Notre Dame is possibly the world's oldest church building to use iron reinforcements.

Bind iron stones together

The researchers have determined that Notre Dame is "indisputably" the earliest known cathedral of Gothic-style architecture to have been initially constructed using substantial usage of iron to bind stones together, according to the study published in PLOS ONE.

The analysis could also deepen understanding of the iron trade, circulation, and forging in 12th and 13th century Paris.

At a height of 32 metres when it was built in the middle of the 12th century, Notre Dame was the tallest structure ever constructed. According to earlier studies, this record may have been made feasible by integrating several architectural advances.

However, despite the widespread usage of iron reinforcements in more recent cathedrals and efforts to restore historic structures, it remained unknown what function iron may have served in Notre Dame's construction – until now.

Maxime L'Héritier of Université Paris 8, France, and colleagues could access previously concealed parts of Notre Dame that hold clues to the possible use of iron in its construction due to the 2019 fire and subsequent restoration.

The researchers collected material samples from 12 iron staples used in the tribunes, nave aisles, and upper walls of the building to hold stones together. They used microscopic, chemical, and architectural investigations along with radiocarbon dating to learn more about the staples.

The team's research indicated that during the construction of Notre Dame in the 1160s, iron staples were undoubtedly utilised throughout the building process, making it the first building of its kind to do so.

'A new form of architecture'

"Radiocarbon dating reveals that Notre-Dame de Paris is indisputably the first Gothic cathedral where iron was thought of as a real building material to create a new form of architecture," the authors said in a press release.

"The medieval builders used several thousand iron staples throughout its construction," they added.

The analyses also offer details that may increase understanding of the iron trade, circulation, and forging in 12th and 13th century Paris when combined with other archaeological and historical facts from that period.

For instance, the authors highlighted that several staples appear to have been created by "welding together" pieces of iron from various supply sources.

They state that additional analyses of Notre Dame materials and a thorough database of historical iron producers in the area are required to corroborate and build on these novel discoveries regarding the medieval Parisian iron market.

More than four years have passed since a fire ripped through the cathedral in Paris on April 15, 2019. The 12th-century landmark is currently undergoing reconstruction, with plans to reopen to both visitors and churchgoers in December 2024, according to French officials.

Medieval techniques being used to restore Notre Dame Cathedral's roof

Former Engineers Ireland president Dr Chris Horn wrote an opinion piece for The Irish Times last year on how technology is used to fight wildfires both nationally and internationally ('How technology is being deployed to put out wildfires, Irish Times, August 4, 2022).

In his article he addressed the increasing use of technology in responding to these events, namely systems grounded in wireless infrastructure (eg, remote sensors, cameras and monitors), utilising mobile cellular systems and examining the potential use of satellite broadband systems.

However, there is one area that didn't get a mention: the work being carried out by engineers in various disciplines to prevent these fires occurring in the first place and the collaborative fire prevention initiatives being undertaken nationally and internationally.

Global reach of wildfires

Wildfires, once thought of as a distant problem in the USA and Australia, have now become a feature of a European summer. One of the most significant fires to occur in the last five years was the Attica fires in Mati, Greece, in 2018. These wildfires which followed the 2018 European heat wave, resulted in the deaths of 103 people and became the second-deadliest wildfire event in the 21st century, after the 2009 Black Saturday bush fires in Australia.

Last summer we have seen the destructive force of these fires in Greece, Spain, Portugal and France where wildfires have destroyed thousands of hectares of forests and led to the evacuation of several towns and villages. In July 2022, as a result of the extreme temperatures of 40°C, fire crews across London responded to 1,146 incidents in a single day, which resulted in the loss of 16 homes.

This year has already seen devastation of forests and grassland in Chile. One of the key contributors to the increase in wildfires is reduced rainfall being recorded during the winter period coupled with increased temperatures observed in the summer months. These fluctuations in traditional climate patterns are destined to continue with potentially disastrous effects for forests and the agricultural sector.

On March 1, 2023, the first wildfire alert was issued by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; in previous years these alerts would have been issued in mid to late-April.

International research

In the recently published Interconnected Disaster Risks report – a science-based publication from the Institute for Environment and Human Security at the United Nations – it recognised that disasters are occurring at an ever-faster rate and that we are continuously being caught out by new extremes and new emerging threats.

The recent UNEP and GRID-Arendal report 'Spreading like Wildfire: The Rising Threat of Extraordinary Landscape Fires', published in March 2022, finds that climate change and land-use change are making wildfires worse and anticipates a global increase of extreme fires even in areas previously unaffected.

Collaborative prevention

As part of the organising committee of the International Safety Education Seminar, held in Dublin in March 2022, various international initiatives were showcased in educating people about wildfires and in developing strategies to build resilience in our communities.

At the seminar, the Irish-led Bfiresafe@school project, directed at second-level students, won the European Fire Safety Alliance award for developing a resource to educate students about fire safety and other key skills within the European school’s curriculum.

This ERASMUS funded programme is being rolled out to post-primary students in Ireland and in Europe to highlight simple measures they can take to understand fire, the science around it and work with online resources to enhance the learning experience.

The seminar demonstrated the importance of combining innovative digital methodologies and 'on the ground' strategies to actively engage with people, of all ages, to increase awareness and highlight simple steps to prevent the catastrophic damage caused by wildfires and flooding.

Another example of improving knowledge and awareness in the area comes from the development of the EduFire Toolkit, coordinated by the Pau Costa Foundation in Portugal. The EduFire Toolkit project, again funded through ERAMUS, has developed a set of multidisciplinary teaching resources aimed at secondary school teachers and students (12-16 years) in relation to real and local challenges related to climate change and wildfire risk reduction.

Within Irish academia, Dr Fiona Cawkwell and Emma Chalençon at the Department of Geography, University College Cork, have examined the uncontrolled wildland burning events from satellite datasets.

This project, undertaken through the EPA FLARES initiative, gathered and processed five years of data from fire services across the country to create a data set. This research was then presented as a tool to allow Irish fire and rescue professionals to risk-assess their own county and to develop plans to deal with potential incidents.

Conclusion

As Dr Horn correctly pointed out, the fire services internationally are just one of the players in preventing these fires occurring. Developers, planners and other professionals have their part to play in ensuring that any residential development is constructed in lands that are risk-assessed for their susceptibility to wildland fire.

Wildfire disasters last summer show just how important this topic is and will continue to be in the future. By developing preventative strategies and building partnerships between professionals and the community, it will assist in saving areas at risk and protect the communities choosing to live in them as well as minimising the potential damage to the environment.

Author: Pat Hunt joined the fire and rescue service in 1998 and in the intervening years has worked in the delivery of fire service operations and fire prevention as well as being seconded to major civil infrastructural contracts and lecturing, part-time, in AIT and UCD. A chartered fellow of Engineers Ireland, a member of the Institute of Fire Engineers and a member of the Public Sector Division of Engineers Ireland, he works as senior assistant chief fire officer with Westmeath Fire & Rescue Service dealing with fire prevention and community fire safety.

References

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/innovation/2022/08/04/how-technology-is-being-deployed-to-put-out-wildfires/

https://www.unep.org/resources/report/spreading-wildfire-rising-threat-extraordinary-landscape-fires

https://interconnectedrisks.org/report

Preventing wildfires: Collaborative engineering in action

The Engineers Journal is publishing a number of abstracts from the final-year dissertation of Engineers Ireland's accredited BEng (Hons) in Fire Safety Engineering at ATU Donegal (formerly LYIT). The three titles listed here include: 'The efficacy of extinguishing agents on electric vehicle fires'; 'Comparison of fire safety equipment in rental dwellings and private dwellings'; and 'An investigation into the practicalities and legalities of controlled burning within Ireland'.

1. 'The efficacy of extinguishing agents on electric vehicle fires'

Electric vehicles have increased on roads in the past three years. This increase is driven by popularity and a global aim towards sustainability. With the increase in vehicles, the risk of fire in these vehicles also increase.

There is no standard operational guidance for the fire service in dealing with electric vehicle fires. There is also no certainty on what extinguishing agents to use on these vehicle fires. This dissertation seeks to determine the most effective extinguishing agent for electric vehicle fires.

The research of this dissertation focused on hybrid and fully electric vehicles in Ireland. The limitation to this focus is that commercial vehicles are not included in this study. Full scale testing of electric vehicles is limited. Therefore, data from these tests are not widely available for comparison.

The aim of this dissertation is to discover the most effective agent for extinguishing electric vehicle fires, and a delivery mechanism for that agent. The primary data for this dissertation was obtained during interviews conducted with senior fire officers.

The interview process was to establish if the effective extinguishing agents could be successfully applied by the fire service on a fire in an electric vehicle. Secondary data informed this study in terms of viable extinguishing agents and application methods for the agents.

Experiments were conducted on batteries for electric vehicles. This experimental data was used to meet the aim of the dissertation. It was found that water is the most effective extinguishing agent for fires in electric vehicles.

The thermal property of water allows it to cool the battery module. This cooling would stop the process of thermal runaway in the battery that causes fires.

It was found that more than 10,000 litres of water is needed to extinguish a fire in an electric vehicle. This required volume has an impact on fire service response methods. It is recommended that the findings in this dissertation be used to develop a standard organisational guidance for the fire service for these vehicle types.

2. 'Comparison of fire safety equipment in rental dwellings and private dwellings'

There is currently a problem: the number of fatal fires occurring in dwellings.

Between 2015 to 2019, 97% of fatal fires occurred in dwellings. There has not been the same level of research into fatal fires in dwellings compared to that of high-rise buildings, offices and industrial buildings.

This study investigates the differences in fire safety equipment between rental and private dwellings. To achieve this, this dissertation examined the fatal fires between 2015 to 2019 and the amount of fire safety equipment in dwellings. It also assesses the maintenance of the fire safety equipment and if training of occupants in the use of fire safety equipment could make a difference.

A number of quantitative and qualitative research methods were utilised in this study to gather information to write this dissertation. An interview was conducted with an estate agent to gather data on rental dwellings.

A questionnaire was carried out to collect information on the amount of fire equipment in dwellings. There was also statistical analysis of fatal fires between 2015 to 2019 performed.

The dissertation concluded that there are differences in fire safety equipment between private and rental properties. The research revealed that the chance of a fatal fire occurring in a private dwelling in Ireland is 0.005%.

For rental dwellings this is 0.007%. This implies that there is little difference in the chance of a fatal fire occurring in a private dwelling to rental dwelling. There are however differences in the amount of fire safety equipment in private and rental dwellings.

This is due to the Statutory Instrument 139 2019 (Minimum Standards for Rental Housing). When it comes to maintenance of the fire safety equipment in rental dwellings it is unclear who is responsible for the inspections and upkeep of them.

It is recommended that further research is carried out into the responsibly of maintenance of fire equipment in rental dwellings. Further research may also be carried out into the behaviour of occupants in a dwelling fire as this may be a main cause of fatal fires.

3. 'An investigation into the practicalities and legalities of controlled burning within Ireland'

The utilisation of controlled burning as a land management technique within Ireland has been in existence since the 18th century. However, as awareness continues to rise surrounding the ecological and environmental impact of uncontrolled fires, an intense debate has arisen between landowners and ecologists embroiled in the matter.

With an increase in wildfires year on year from poorly conducted burns, both parties have hit an impasse with their discussions. As the discourse continues to escalate, the need for an alternative approach has become readily apparent.

The alternative measure in questions must appease landowners who require a form of land management and ecologists preserving Ireland’s fauna and flora.

The overall aim and objectives of this dissertation are to investigate the debate while analysing the legislation surrounding controlled burning and studying the alternative measures presented.

Each alternative introduced in this dissertation will be assessed for its strengths and weaknesses in relation to how it would fare as a plausible idea and for its practicality and execution.

Throughout the dissertation the research methods employed are semi-structured style interviews and a case study. The combination of primary and secondary data enables verification and validation of the data collected and thus the research can be presented in an unbiased manner.

The result of the study concluded that controlled burning when conducted correctly proved to be a valid form of land management, but that how it is currently practised in Ireland is not fit for purpose.

It was assessed that the feeling in Ireland was that change was needed, as these burnings were now in direct conflict with both European regulations and Irish climate acts.

Four alternative measures were analysed, with the findings revealing that a multifaceted approach was required due to the variation of terrain found throughout Ireland.

Of critical importance to the success of these measures were the creation of an educational programme educating landowners on the dangers of fire and the enforcement of stricter penalties for those who illegally burn.

Limitations in the research took the form of time constraints when finding willing participants and a restricted word count. Suggestions for further research are recommended within this dissertation.

Fire safety engineering: Abstracts from final-year dissertations

We have a chance to build back the world and build it back better, but we have to protect our resources such as our oceans when we do so. We need engineers to play their part in this new world, but we have to ensure that they always ask the 'Why', writes Patrick Calnan.

Hydroelectricity

Viewed from space Earth is seen as the blue planet. Water dominants the landscape and covers about 71% of the land mass. Water is an essential component of life, providing the moisture for our crops to grow, the drinking water for our populations to thrive.

Hydroelectricity is the largest renewable electricity source in the world currently giving people access to clean power and there is a great push for hydrogen to decarbonise many hard-to-reach sectors with water the fuel source in this case too [1].

It was therefore with profound disquiet felt by many when the images were shared around the world of the ocean on fire at the Pemex Ku Maloob Zaap facility off the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.

The image of the circular fireball, unrelenting on our ocean surface and the platform adjacent to it suddenly highlighted our own vulnerabilities [2]. If the ocean cannot protect us against and quench fires created by manmade activities it raises questions about the other endeavours that are occurring across the world.

The Ku Maloob Zaap platform would have been designed and built to the highest standards and availed of outstanding engineering skillsets developed over decades from when the first offshore platform was built in 1947 off the coast of Louisiana [3].

But what it highlights is that engineers know the 'how', how to develop and build outstanding infrastructure, but we have to ask more of the 'Why'! Why is this piece of infrastructure needed, is there an alternative? Why will this body of work improve the society we live in now and for the full lifecycle of the asset? Why are we building this and what are the long-term ramifications?

Why now?

The time to ask these questions has never been more important. The world is facing into unprecedented challenges where engineers can make a meaningful impact for the betterment of society.

By the end of the century the world’s population will reach 10 billion. To cater for this growing population, we will have to build the equivalent of New York City every month for 40 years [4].

There is an increased onus on 'Build Back [a] Better World' (BW3) and for that to be a success it has to take a holistic approach and not be implemented with geopolitical mandates at the fore [5].

With $40 trillion at stake as the development gap we have to ensure that the resources are used judicially. This focus on infrastructure to stimulate economies is not limited to the developing world. In a post-Covid environment many developed economies are looking at infrastructure to stimulate growth, but with a fuller view on what its people need and want.

The BW3 plans are encouraging and the onus on “financial transparency, environmental sustainability and …economic development” are commendable, especially when faced with another major challenge: climate change.

Already countries representing 65% of the global carbon dioxide emissions and 70% of the world GDP have made commitments to carbon neutrality [6]. Several roadmaps have been published as to how this can be achieved. No route is easy. The costs are phenomenal, but so is the reward. Estimates show that to achieve our energy transition targets our spends to 2050 will have to increase by 30%, from $98 trillion to $131 trillion on energy [7].

Why engineers?

Engineers can help to deliver this new world, but there has to be an increased focus on using our resources as effectively as possible and not building for the sake of building. Engineers are well placed to deliver this new world for several reasons.

First, the profession is guided by a Code of Ethics [8]. There are different variations of this idea, such as the Engineers' Creed or the Engineers' Oath but in the Engineers Ireland Code of Ethics it highlights the responsibility to “the common good and the advancement of human welfare”.

Second, engineers have a strong mindset for systems thinking [9]. This means there is an inherent strength in seeing the whole problem but also joining together the systems and parts to reach a solution. In a time when joining previous unconnected system (such as the electrification of transport) to achieve our goals it becomes a more important skillset in a more complicated world.

And finally, engineers have consistently demonstrated the ability to problem solve. Whereas typically this is evident on specific projects there has to be shift from the micro to the macro. The skillsets that have been honed for delivering world-class infrastructure have to be expanded to understand and communicate effectively what assets are needed where and when.

This is an area where engineers have to improve. A greater focus on effective communication would allow the industry have a greater say in decision making. This is of vital importance.

Combining the skillset of an engineer and a chartered director or strategic management credential would allow the engineering community have a stronger voice for the benefit of the profession, the companies in which these people work and for society at large.

Conclusion

Lenin said there are decades when nothing happens and then there are weeks when decades happen. According to the IPCC report we have to reach net zero in terms of carbon emissions to significantly reduce the likelihood of temperatures rising above 2^oC which has to be achieved by 2050.

This issue with a world recovering from a post-Covid pandemic, an ever-increasing population and a greater strain on our current resources means we are entering one of the most challenging times in human history. We need decades worth of work to happen in years to reach our goals.

In Ireland an important piece of legislation has been published in the Maritime Area Planning (MAP) bill [10]. This document sets out a means to help us use and protect our seas and oceans for the coming challenges that await, the same oceans as the Ku Maloob Zap fire occurred.

References

1.) IEA, 'Electricity', 19 July 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.iea.org/fuels-and-technologies/electricity. [Accessed July 19, 2021].

2.) Reuters, 'Eye of fire' in Mexican waters snuffed out, says national oil company', July 2, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/fire-offshore-pemex-platform-gulf-mexico-under-control-2021-07-02/. [Accessed July 12, 2021].

3.) D Yergin, The Quest, London: Penguin, 2011.

4.) B Gates, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, 2021.

5.) Reuters, 'G7 rivals China with grand infrastructure plan', June 12, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.reuters.com/world/g7-counter-chinas-belt-road-with-infrastructure-project-senior-us-official-2021-06-12/. [Accessed July 12, 2021].

6.) UN, 'The race to zero emissions, and why the world depends on it', December 2, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1078612. [Accessed July 12, 2021].

7.) World Resource Institute, 'Unlocking a Renewable Energy Future – How Government Action can Drive Private Investment', 2021.

8.) Engineers Ireland, 'Code of Ethics', January 1, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.engineersireland.ie/desktopmodules/inventise.eil/handlers/file.ashx?id=21286. [Accessed 12 July 2021].

9.) B Lucas and J Hanson, “Thinking like an engineer: using engineering habits of mind to redesign engineering education for global competitiveness,” https://www.sefi.be/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/0160.pdf, 2014.

10.) Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage , “Maritime Area Planning Bill,” 30 June 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a1a65-maritime-area-planning-bill/. [Accessed 19 July 2021].