Center for Infrastructure Protection & Homeland Security

From the Director: August/September 2015

Welcome to the new format of the CIP Report! As we told you in our June issue, our intent is to create a more interactive and useful CIP Report that better serves our community and readers. Our subject for this issue is the effect of climate on resilience, an especially relevant subject with both short-term and long-term impacts. With this month marking the ten year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we’re reminded of the impact that natural disasters created by climate events can have on critical infrastructure.

Below, you will find brief introductions to each offering in this month’s issue as well as links to the full articles. Inside each article you will find links to further useful resources. I believe you’ll find this adds to the value of the highly relevant selections our contributors have provided.

Just as our format has changed, the process by which new subscribers can be added to our mailing list to receive the CIP Report has also changed. For current subscribers, we’ve already moved you to this e-mail format. For friends who would like to become new subscribers to the CIP Report, you’ll find a space on our homepage (https://cip.gmu.edu/) to subscribe. The old CIP Report listserv will remain open until 30 September 2015, but after that we’ll direct interested parties to the sign up on our homepage. As you have an opportunity, please browse our redesigned website that we have converted into a continuously updating format. We believe this will add to the value of what you see regarding critical infrastructure and security.

Finally, we’re delighted to be part of the George Mason School of Business as of 1 July, 2015. We retain our close and enduring relationships with the George Mason School of Law, and we look toward the future as we join with a very forward-looking School of Business. We feel this will add a unique and highly relevant perspective, as the majority of critical infrastructure is found in the private sector.

We are deeply grateful to our partners and contributors and we trust you will find this issue and new format valuable. Most of all, we value the relationship with you—the community of professionals who contribute to critical infrastructure security and resilience. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Warm Regards,
TroutmanSignature
Mark Troutman. PhD
Director, CIP/HS


Closing the Gap between Climate Science and Critical Infrastructure Adaptation

Posted: Aug. 6, 2015

Megan Clifford, Lawrence Paul Lewis, Frédéric Petit, Duane Verner, and Thomas A. Wall, from the Risk and Infrastructure Science Center of the Global Security Sciences Division at Argonne National Laboratories highlight the gap between existing climate science capabilities and critical infrastructure adaptation needs, proposing a potential path forward.

Critical Infrastructure & Climate Adaptation

Posted: Aug. 20, 2015

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Lisa Barr & Steven Nider discuss extreme weather events and climate change in relation to their impacts on critical infrastructure. Their discussion covers the current efforts and need for a future plan concerning climate change adaptation to counter the risks climate change presents to our infrastructure.

From the 2014 U.S. National Climate Assessment

Posted: Aug. 24, 2015

Here, we provide you with two summaries of the 2014 National Climate Assessment conducted by the U.S. Global Change Research Program. The first highlights the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure.  The second details the challenges climate change has imposed upon a variety of key domestic elements.

Utilizing Computer Simulation to Ensure the Continuity of Critical infrastructure Services on a Dynamically Changing Planet

Posted Aug. 27, 2015

Richard G. Little and William A. Wallace from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute analyze the importance of computer modeling and simulation to prepare and respond to climate change and its impacts on civil and social infrastructure.