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refineries, and large mines and sources of other raw material. A change in regulations will force cascading changes in other layers of the system. If you change one
infrastructure layer, you change many, due to interdependency! This is lock-in
squared.
Many practitioners view water security and water infrastructure as the key component to the FEW nexus, and the focal point that will bring together the global
challenges that the world economy will face in the coming decades (Hoff 2011;
Rasul and Sharma 2016). The higher risks of water resources are caused by the
abrupt climate change, the more frequent extreme weather, and the rapid growth of
water demand in both developing and developed countries. Agriculture is a major
user of ground and surface water globally, especially in the USA, and accounts for
approximately 70 percent of global consumptive water use. Therefore, safeguarding
the water is essential to meet food demand in a nonstationary world. Additionally,
in the energy sector, water is used for cooling during thermoelectric power generation (e.g., coal, nuclear, natural gas), 98 percent of power supply depends on the
availability of water in an increasingly water-stressed world. Maintaining water
security in a nonstationary world poses a huge challenge not only for water systems,
but also maintaining FEW systems.
The electrical power grid is another infrastructure of huge concern. The power
grid is the world’s most complex machine, and provides the indispensable electrical
energy to operate critical systems like lighting, telecommunications, controls,
pumps, traffic systems, and payments. The power grid is vulnerable to heat waves,
solar storms, targeted physical and cyber-attacks, extreme weather, and increasingly
rapid technological change. It is not clear whether the power grid as it currently
exists can survive the advent of massive renewable energy, battery, and electrical
vehicle deployment. The power grid’s extreme cost and importance are both an
adaptive asset and a liability; an asset because there is a great deal of money and
governance capacity focused on the problem; a liability because of the extreme
consequences of failure.
Why are FEW infrastructures such a problem in the twenty-first century? The
basic reason is the rapid rate of change and unpredictability of the modern world.
Because of lock-in, it is difficult to adapt infrastructure to changing climate, demographics, culture, and technology—at least as infrastructure has been traditionally
conceived. But in the rapid changing world, increasing the resilience of FEW infrastructure to increasing population, extreme natural events (e.g., flood and drought)
and social instability (e.g., terrorism) is not an option—it is a must (Milly et al.
2008)! FEW infrastructure systems must be smarter, not just stronger, and more
resilient to withstand a diverse set of emerging risks. Successfully managing these
risks is crucial for leaders globally, bringing the need for infrastructure resilience to
the fore.
How will we adapt our infrastructure to the rapid growth and change of the modern world? Some think that the whole idea of infrastructure needs to be reimagined
to reduce or eliminate lock-in and avoid stranded capital. Stranded capital is where
large amounts of capital investments in infrastructure (or other systems) are rendered useless and valueless due to changing regulation, economics, climate, etc.
10 Infrastructure
refineries, and large mines and sources of other raw material. A change in regulations will force cascading changes in other layers of the system. If you change one
infrastructure layer, you change many, due to interdependency! This is lock-in
squared.
Many practitioners view water security and water infrastructure as the key component to the FEW nexus, and the focal point that will bring together the global
challenges that the world economy will face in the coming decades (Hoff 2011;
Rasul and Sharma 2016). The higher risks of water resources are caused by the
abrupt climate change, the more frequent extreme weather, and the rapid growth of
water demand in both developing and developed countries. Agriculture is a major
user of ground and surface water globally, especially in the USA, and accounts for
approximately 70 percent of global consumptive water use. Therefore, safeguarding
the water is essential to meet food demand in a nonstationary world. Additionally,
in the energy sector, water is used for cooling during thermoelectric power generation (e.g., coal, nuclear, natural gas), 98 percent of power supply depends on the
availability of water in an increasingly water-stressed world. Maintaining water
security in a nonstationary world poses a huge challenge not only for water systems,
but also maintaining FEW systems.
The electrical power grid is another infrastructure of huge concern. The power
grid is the world’s most complex machine, and provides the indispensable electrical
energy to operate critical systems like lighting, telecommunications, controls,
pumps, traffic systems, and payments. The power grid is vulnerable to heat waves,
solar storms, targeted physical and cyber-attacks, extreme weather, and increasingly
rapid technological change. It is not clear whether the power grid as it currently
exists can survive the advent of massive renewable energy, battery, and electrical
vehicle deployment. The power grid’s extreme cost and importance are both an
adaptive asset and a liability; an asset because there is a great deal of money and
governance capacity focused on the problem; a liability because of the extreme
consequences of failure.
Why are FEW infrastructures such a problem in the twenty-first century? The
basic reason is the rapid rate of change and unpredictability of the modern world.
Because of lock-in, it is difficult to adapt infrastructure to changing climate, demographics, culture, and technology—at least as infrastructure has been traditionally
conceived. But in the rapid changing world, increasing the resilience of FEW infrastructure to increasing population, extreme natural events (e.g., flood and drought)
and social instability (e.g., terrorism) is not an option—it is a must (Milly et al.
2008)! FEW infrastructure systems must be smarter, not just stronger, and more
resilient to withstand a diverse set of emerging risks. Successfully managing these
risks is crucial for leaders globally, bringing the need for infrastructure resilience to
the fore.
How will we adapt our infrastructure to the rapid growth and change of the modern world? Some think that the whole idea of infrastructure needs to be reimagined
to reduce or eliminate lock-in and avoid stranded capital. Stranded capital is where
large amounts of capital investments in infrastructure (or other systems) are rendered useless and valueless due to changing regulation, economics, climate, etc.
10 Infrastructure