THE ETHICS OF THE PETROLEUM ENGINEER IN THE 21ST CENTURY: GOVERNANCE, TECHNOLOGICAL RISK, AND RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS SOCIETY

The activity of the petroleum engineer is profoundly influenced by rapid technological developments, the intensification of environmental regulations, and increasing societal expectations regarding corporate responsibility. This paper proposes an original analysis of engineering ethics in the petroleum sector, moving beyond classical descriptive approaches and focusing on the relationship between technological governance, risk management, and the moral responsibility of the technical professional. The methodology combines the analysis of international academic literature, recent regulatory documents, and relevant case studies from the global and regional petroleum industry. The results highlight that modern engineering ethics cannot be reduced to compliance with codes of conduct, but must be understood as an active professional competence, integrated into technical decision-making processes.