Environmental Concern and Economic Growth: Ethical Engineer Case Study

This case study analysis examines the ethical implications of an oil production project in Trombay, India. The analysis focuses on the stakeholders involved: the farm owners, the oil company, and the local population. The case highlights the conflict between economic growth and environmental concerns, as the oil production leads to significant pollution, causing chronic diseases and deaths among the residents. The analysis explores the knowledge and skills needed to implement sustainable solutions, emphasizing the importance of waste disposal methods, safe drilling practices, and community engagement. The author argues that human life should take precedence over economic gain and suggests that the mining process should be done in a sustainable way. The analysis also touches on the importance of interdisciplinary perspectives, cultural insights, and the author's personal position on the ethical responsibilities of engineers and corporations in balancing economic development with environmental and human well-being.

Running head: ETHICAL ENGINEER CASE STUDY
Environmental Concern and Economic Growth
Student’s Name
Institution
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THE ETHICAL ENGINEER CASE STUDY 1
The case study is based on a farm in Trombay (Maharashtra, India). The involved stakeholders
are the owners of the farm and the big oil company which buys the land. Mr. Amit buys his land
for the production of oil. The area ends up being one of the major oil producing regions in India.
This has its advantages and disadvantages, for starters, the companies get a lot of profit from the
oil while the surrounding grows economically because of investments. Unfortunately, this also
comes with bad news, the area gets all polluted. The oil refineries dump all the waste into water
sources, the waste being of heavy metals and organic chemicals. The population living around
faced serious pollution of the environment. As a result, the pollution people suffered chronic
diseases and others even died.
On the question of what knowledge and skills are needed to come up with a solution on
pollution. Both the aspect of economy and environment are important. We need the economy to
grow but the environment needs to be constantly safe. Methods to dispose of the waste without
affecting the population should have been implemented. The drilling process should have been
safe to avoid oil spillage. In another aspect, the people around could have been compensated and
cleared the area to avoid the diseases and cases of death (Shannon, 2018).
The people with enough knowledge about chemicals and structures should have been consulted.
They would have suggested the way forward from taking care of the waste disposal to re using
the byproducts. This means the products will bring more profit to the companies and save the
surrounding people from pollution.
As an oil company, it was their responsibility to ensure people understood what was going on.
This would have led to people having the right to choose.

THE ETHICAL ENGINEER CASE STUDY 2
The world has put more weight on money forgetting that human life is priceless. They should be
no discussion comparing the life of a human being and economical gain. Human life comes
above any type of gain. Nether less both are important and both can come hand to hand as long
as right channels are used. Drilling of the oil would have been done in the right ways and with
professional advice lives would have been saved (Eggert, 2013).
In my personal opinion, human life should not be debatable, the oil drilling should have been
done away with, if all it came with was diseases and death. The human life should be protected
under any cost. We would rather live in a low economic status than let people die as we watch,
but if the drilling will bring prosperity and not destroy people why not go ahead with it. The
money brought forth by the mining can be used to make the environment better and safe that way
everybody benefits. It would be inhuman to continue mining, destroy the environment while
some gain all the money.
References
Eggert, R. G. (2013). Mining and the Environment: International Perspectives on Public
Policy. London, England: Routledge.
Shannon, D. E. (2018). Safeguarding the Environment in Mining Development Projects.
Page Publishing.

THE ETHICAL ENGINEER CASE STUDY 3