The Grandest Challenge of All: The Role of Environmental Engineering to Achieve Sustainability in the World's Developing Regions

The environmental engineering discipline has focused much of its historical efforts in developing regions of the world on advancing environmental sustainability through improving provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. However, the skills and expertise that reside within the discipline of environmental engineering are fundamental to achieve a much broader range of sustainable development goals, including those related to health, climate, water, energy, and food security; economic development; and reduction of social inequalities. Accordingly, this article critically reviews several focus areas where environmental engineering should assume a more active presence in the global community that seeks to achieve sustainability in developing regions of the world. The 10 environmental engineering Grand Challenges for the developing world covered are: (1) understand the historical perspective of the discipline's connection with public health as the field transitions forward; (2) integ...