Reflections of Academicol Ing. José Domingo Pérez Muñiz, API when accepting his election as President of the API

I address the distinguished members of this honorable Pan-American Academy of Engineering, first of all, to thank everyone for their trust in electing me President of the Academy for the term 2022 to 2024.

GRACIAS, Thank You, Thank You very much.

Having received the trust of the most distinguished professionals in the Americas imposes on us a responsibility of hemispheric dimensions, which I take with the greatest seriousness. Although it is up to us to promote professional excellence in the practice of engineering in all its aspects and specialties, and thus to strengthen the prestige of the organization, our greatest responsibility is to promote, enable and achieve sustainable development in all our countries.

Given that in the Plenary Session we will present what we are doing and promoting to promote professional excellence in a structured way, I choose to share the vision of our greatest responsibility, which in one way or another coincides with the essence of what was stated by the distinguished panelists who have presented at the Public Policy Forum such as Bishop and Montgomery, among others.

Faced with the threats posed by climate change, which in the short term threatens the survival of nations and in the longer term against all humanity, it is imperative that, in the best Pan-American tradition, engineers in the hemisphere collaborate on comprehensive solutions for every sector of society, in our countries and in the world.

While it is true that the impact of some events is recognized locally, the threat that looms is global and impacts us broadly in all corners of the globe.

In the Southern Hemisphere, Australia is burning today and we don't know if it will exceed the 12 Million Hectares that burned last summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, in September the BBC described the fires in the western United States. Department of State as Apocalyptic Images and it was reported that the state of Oregon had the worst air quality in the world.

Just two days ago, the most intense cyclonic season in history ended in the Caribbean, which included in its last two devastating hurricanes in just two weeks, as occurred in Puerto Rico and the Eastern Caribbean in 2017.

Meanwhile, in temperate latitudes, glaciers are shrinking and melting is progressing in Antarctica and the Arctic Circle.

Climate change is not something local or regional, climate change due to the irresponsible use of the planet's resources impacts industrialized and developing countries indistinctly and in one way or another on all the inhabitants of the planet, regardless of the educational level or the availability of resources.

The Americas has some of the richest countries in biodiversity; Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and the United States. However, this biodiversity is threatened by climate change and we cannot stand idly by.

Some of you will wonder if what we state and aspire to is feasible. The answer is yes. Prestigious companies around the world are embracing humanity and are literally committed to its livelihood. These companies have recognized the importance of engineers in making decisions and implementing them, aware that doing what needs to be done is not like turning a circuit breaker off or on.

As an example, the British telecommunications giant, VODAPHONE, has drawn up a detailed schedule that in just twenty years will allow it to achieve ZERO NET EMISSIONS.

Thus, by 2030, the company will have eliminated all carbon emissions from its activities, as well as those from the energy it acquires and uses; these are the emissions known as scope 1 and 2. In the same way, Vodaphone is committed to eliminating those carbon emissions, from area 3, incorporating into this initiative those of joint ventures, their supply chains, the use of products and business travel.

As stated by the president of Vodaphone: It is possible to reduce the carbon footprint through energy efficiency, reduction of waste in processes and the use of responsible environmental criteria when selecting suppliers. Producers, consumers and users can and should contribute to reducing the environmental footprint

On the other hand, we see how companies that have capitalized on the exploitation of Fossil Fuels, such as Occidental Petroleum, are now developing initiatives for the Capture and Use of Coal. With our support, this will turn into a trend that would prove irreversible for the good of all.

We must bear in mind that in 10 days the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement will be commemorated to combat climate change and accelerate and intensify the actions and investments necessary for a sustainable future with low carbon emissions.