Vulnerability of the power grid

New article, on the vulnerability of the grid to power failure due to climate change and corporate cost-cutting just published. You can access it here. Here is the first paragraph:

The lights went out. In the late evening of Friday June 29, 2012 electric power went out all over the Washington metro area. As the power failed television screens went blank, email links were lost, air conditioning units simply stopped and traffic lights ceased to function.  More than 1.4 million people lost power, some of them for almost a full week, in the oppressive humidity of midsummer. Without power the area was no longer a functioning modern city. The anonymous reliability of modernity was replaced by the improvisation and inventiveness of individuals, family support systems, neighborhood alliances and community connections. The vital necessity of readily available power that defines contemporary urban living was made acute by its absence. The lack of power highlighted the dependence on it. The taken for granted was revealed as the absolutely essential and the urban fragility of modernity was brutally exposed. Critical infrastructure is only experienced as vital when it fails.

Derecho storm downs power lines in Washington metro, 2012

Cities and climate change refugees: the Efe interview

While in Cali Colombia I was interviewed by the Spanish news service Efe, the Spanish language version of AP. The article was widely circulated in newspapers in Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecudaor, Paraguay, Peru and Spain.

Here is a rough translation:

Migration resulting from climate change may have already started, warned American expert John Short in Colombia today, who also confirmed that the world is not prepared for the effects of global warming.

"Migration due to climate change has already begun. In Bangladesh, for example, there are climate change refugees who have fled their rural homes because they can no longer survive in such an aggressive climate," said the expert in an interview with EFE.

Short, who received his doctorate from the UK’s University of Bristol and is an expert on urban issues, geography, environmental issues and globalization, said the environmental changes "will become the new normal for everyone on the planet".

The exodus to major cities:

The researcher provided his climate change theory as part of a lecture presented to ICESI University in Cali, Columbia, further noting that this "new normal" will bring about a significant exodus to urban areas, which those who live in the most remote areas will see as an option for survival.

"No city is prepared for the unexpected migration that may be caused by climate change," said the expert, who noted that these new migrants "comprise groups with economic constraints", which complicates their adaptation to the urban environment.

Adaptation and mitigation:

The American professor points to “adaptation” and “mitigation” as ways of confronting climate change.

The first term refers to "how humans can ensure that the built environment accommodates the new normal," explained Short, who described mitigation as "actions to lessen climate change."

In order to exemplify mitigation, the expert mentioned alternative sources of energy like wind, which is used by countries such as Spain and Denmark.

Nevertheless, he said that "these options are being overshadowed by the current decline in oil prices."

He also referred to “green roofs”, referring to vegetation that is planted on facilities in order to reduce ozone emissions.

Regarding adaptation, Short explained that it is a more complicated process, given that the "new normal" is different in every part of the world and demands more resources.

"The problem is that we don’t know exactly what the change will be in different parts of the world," he said. EFE

Extreme weather exposes the vulnerability of our cities to climate change

I contributed an article to the website, The Conversation, that publishes accessible pieces about important topics by academic researchers. My article examines how extreme weather, such as the massive snowfalls in Boston, exposes the vulnerability of our cities. I explore why these extreme weather events, connected to global climate change, are not shifting public debates about making our cities more resilient through climate adaption. You can read the article here.