For SEs and Climate Change Scientists, Predictive Ability Rests in Finite Element Quality

For any who have read my previous articles, it will be no surprise that the views I present herein might be considered heretical. But, after much thoughtful consideration of what appears to be a prevailing attitude among many of the structural engineering community regarding the global climate crisis, I feel a responsibility to present what I believe is a fair critique of what is often (in my view, incorrectly) called Settled Science. I do this because I feel it is not in the best interest of our profession to blindly accept as settled something that is not actually settled. Our reputations will suffer if we accept, without debate, hypotheses that are not proven and may be shown in the future to be wrong (particularly if we “go along” to look fashionably hip to the public or our clients). 

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I am a structural engineer and quite happy with who I am. Call me a simple guy. I grew up in a small town, and I was happy. I went to public schools, played little league baseball, and learned the value of hard work from a dad with a solid work ethic. It was not until much later in life that I learned my family lived well below the government’s established “poverty line.” Nobody told me, so I did not know we were poor. I did not know I was supposed to be miserable. …

 

Historically, societies have placed a high value on professionals, trusting that those who possess the higher knowledge associated therewith will serve the interests of society with that knowledge. But now, perhaps due to political or economic pressures, we find society struggling to determine the value of having licensed, regulated professional engineers. …