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UNDERSEA SENSORSGoing Dark: Why Dismantling America’s Ocean Sensors Is a Security Risk
Starting this month, the National Science Foundation (NSF) began pulling more than 900 deep-sea instruments out of the water, dismantling most of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a network of moorings and seafloor sensors that streams continuous, real-time data on the physical, chemical, and biological state of the Atlantic and Pacific. The network was built to run for 25 years. It will not make it to ten. This is a national security story as much as a science story.
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POWER-GRID RESILIENCEA Simple — Yet Expensive — Way to Climate-Proof the Grid: Bury the Power Lines
Underground power lines are far less vulnerable to extreme weather, but burying them doesn’t come cheap. After a historic ice storm in northern Michigan, utilities there are reconsidering the cost.
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DISASTERSSecond Huge Tsunami Caused by Climate Change in Two Years
The side of a mountain slid into an Alaskan fjord last August, producing a tsunami 481 meters high, the second highest ever recorded, according to a new study involving a UCL researcher.
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DRONESWho Has Authority to Deal with Drones? In Most of Europe, That’s Unclear
Europe’s growing drone problem is a governance problem. The hardware exists. What is missing, across most of the continent, is the legal authority to deploy it, the jurisdictional clarity to coordinate it, and the political will to mandate either.
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CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURENew Technologies and Approaches Needed to Shore Up Interconnected U.S. Energy and Water Systems: Report
To strengthen the reliability and resiliency of the nation’s energy and water systems, the U.S. Department of Energy should develop innovative technology and infrastructure at the intersection of the two systems through a suite of pilot programs, says a new report.
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COASTAL CHALLENGESCan Coney Island’s Dunes Protect Against Another Sandy?
Coastal dune ecosystem restoration is a nature-based solution that can help reduce the impact of coastal flooding and erosion, offering residents protection from the next, inevitable storm surge.
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EMERGENCY HOUSINGReusable Emergency Housing Provide Their Own Power, Water
A startup making emergency housing cheaper and faster to deploy won this year’s MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition. Uplift Microhome’s modular housing units can provide their own power and water, for faster deployments.
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CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTUREHow Will Tropical Cyclones Impact Coastal Critical Infrastructure — Including Nuclear Reactors — in the Future?
As populations grow and more infrastructure is built in coastal areas, understanding these risks is essential. The Bay of Bengal’s low-lying coastal area and dense population make the region in Southeast Asia highly vulnerable to flooding.
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INFRASTRUCTUREThe Skylines of the Future Will Be Made of Wood
Laminated timber is more environmentally friendly than steel, and perfectly safe for constructing tall buildings.
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DOOMSDAYWhat to Expect When You’re Expecting the End of the World
Jem Bendell predicted that society would collapse because of climate change. Then he tried to get on with his life.
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IRAN WARWhy Iran Targeted Amazon Data Centers and What That Does – and Doesn’t – Change About Warfare
It seems likely that as the use of AI tools and other cloud-based resources continues to grow in importance for countries around the world, commercial data centers will be targets in future conflicts.
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CYBER-STRATEGYTrump’s Cyber Strategy Falls Short on China, Iran, and the Threats That Matter Most
Iranian cyber retaliation is escalating. Chinese operators remain embedded in U.S. infrastructure. Ransomware groups continue to disrupt hospitals, schools, and local governments. Trump’s recently released cyber strategy raises doubts the administration is prepared to address these threats.
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INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTIONHelping MTA in Combating Climate Threats
NYU Tandon School research team developed computer model that quickly tests hundreds of resilience strategies to determine the best ways to defend subways against coastal storm surge flooding.
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IRAN WARCloud to Ground: Iran Puts Foreign Data Centers on the Front Line
When Iranian drones struck hyperscale cloud data-center facilities in the United Arab Emirates and damaged infrastructure near Bahrain on 1 March, they did not just target military bases. They also targeted server farms. That distinction matters more than it might appear.
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CRITICAL MINERALSTo Secure Mineral Demand, Align with Original Equipment Manufacturers
Allied governments want resilient critical mineral supply chains. Investors want contracted revenue. Capital does not finance separation plants and magnet facilities based on strategic aspiration; it finances credible, long-term demand.
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The long view
CYBER-STRATEGYTrump’s Cyber Strategy Falls Short on China, Iran, and the Threats That Matter Most
Iranian cyber retaliation is escalating. Chinese operators remain embedded in U.S. infrastructure. Ransomware groups continue to disrupt hospitals, schools, and local governments. Trump’s recently released cyber strategy raises doubts the administration is prepared to address these threats.
INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTIONHelping MTA in Combating Climate Threats
NYU Tandon School research team developed computer model that quickly tests hundreds of resilience strategies to determine the best ways to defend subways against coastal storm surge flooding.