Water availability has always been the key factor for the development of human society. While in many countries this is plainly evident, those of us who - like me - live in a water-rich country, tend to forget about it. But even in my home country Switzerland - also known as Europe's water tower -...

We should look with awe at the immense ability of Earth's biosphere to sustain itself. In the millions of years of life on Earth, this ability always persisted. This is why life (and therefore humanity) is still around today. The biosphere has been resilient enough to weather several mass...

If ecology and engineering would meet at an evening speed-dating event, they might not immediately fall in love with each other. On a quick glance, they seem to be too different. However, later at night, when lying in bed back at home and trying to catch some sleep, chances are that both would...

Engineering as a field of practice has deep roots in human history. It dates back at least to the ancient Greeks, and might be much older. In ancient civilizations, the predecessors of engineers were probably craftsmen and artists. I believe that this eternal urge to do things better has always...

Simply spoken: because engineering is the most influential human practice on Earth. "It is no longer possible to understand, predict, or successfully manage ecological pattern, process, or change without understanding why and how humans reshape these over the long term", Erle C. Ellis, a...