- Jude Buenaseda, AEG Fellow
As a coastal city, New York City faces increasingly multifaceted levels of risks from extreme weather events. Some parts of the city are still recovering from the impact of Superstorm Sandy from 2012. This situation highlights the massive financial and social cost of these types of disasters, as well as our unpreparedness for such life-threatening storms. The “superstorm” caused $65 billion in damage, 159 deaths, and destroyed over half a million homes. Preparing for such extreme weather events like Sandy requires a lot of risk assessment and has become one of the most worrisome challenges facing city leaders around the country. With recent hurricanes causing extreme flooding in places like Houston, Florida, and Puerto Rico, these critical infrastructure risks apply across the country and across the globe.
Resiliency reassures cities and bridges the gap between high risk and readiness for extreme events. New York City, for example has issued guidelines that require all new municipal buildings to plan for urban flooding from extreme precipitation, higher temperatures, and rising rivers. Resiliency measures create a stronger foundation for infrastructure and minimize the impact of disruptions. Not only does resiliency ensure continuity of services, but it also supports the battle against climate change. Microgrids and green buildings provide cleaner and more efficient energy use, they also reduce risks like massive power outages and are beneficial to public health. According to researchers at Harvard University, green-certified buildings have prevented up to 405 premature deaths, 21,000 sick days at work, and 16,000 lost school days by reducing local air pollution.
Advanced Energy Group (AEG)’s Q1 2018 Series on Resiliency and Critical Infrastructure highlights one of the most important areas of our cities’ energy transformations. Speakers from the organizations at the forefront of our New York’s critical infrastructure - such as the Mayor’s Office, Con Edison, NYISO, and Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus - will be leading the discussion at the upcoming New York Advanced Energy Stakeholder Breakfast on March 8th. Along with AEG’s stakeholder members and attendees, this series aims to tap into collective thought and innovative ideas for a more secure and greener energy future. By bringing these stakeholders together to discuss energy modernization, AEG helps to keep important energy issues in the spotlight and provides states and cities with a framework to deliver transformational results.
Advanced Energy Group is a stakeholder member-supported organization committed to developing and delivering advanced energy policies and solutions in key cities. Stakeholder sessions are by invitation only. For details of our programming please visit:
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