-
Nuclear Has Changed. Will the U.S. Change with It?
Fueled by artificial intelligence, cloud service providers, and ambitious new climate regulations, U.S. demand for carbon-free electricity is on the rise. In response, analysts and lawmakers are taking a fresh look at a controversial energy source: nuclear power.
-
-
What Made the Los Angeles Wildfires So Monstrous
Powerful winds and extra-dry vegetation have fueled what may become the costliest wildfires on record. The longer-term challenge is better adapting Los Angeles, and the rest of California, to a future of ever-worsening droughts and wildfires. “People talk about adapting to the climate,” sys one expert. “We haven’t adapted to the climate we have, let alone the climate that’s coming.”
-
-
How Santa Ana Winds Fueled the Deadly Fires in Southern California
California is seeing more destructive fires than we saw in the past. That’s driven not just by changes in the climate and the winds, but also by population growth.
-
-
A Disaster Expert Explains Why the L.A. Fires Have Been So Catastrophic
As we’re seeing more and more disaster events, it raises questions about risk and whether insurers are going to keep insuring homes in the long run. Increasingly, it seems the answer is no.
-
-
To Prevent an Energy Crisis, Sandia Labs Cofounds New Microelectronics Research Center
Sandia National Laboratories is collaborating with other research institutions to head off a potential future energy crisis that could be driven in part by artificial intelligence.
-
-
Baltic Subsea Sabotage: China Gets Away with Non-cooperation
On Christmas Day, one of two cables connecting Finland’s electricity grid to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania was cut. Four data cables—three linking Finland and Estonia and one between Finland and Germany—were broken at the same time. This and two earlier instances have heightened concerns about the vulnerability of Europe’s undersea infrastructure.
-
-
More States Require Energy Companies to Pay for Damages Caused by Climate-Related Disasters
In recent years, several U.S. states have enacted laws to hold fossil fuel companies financially accountable for damages resulting from climate change. These actions reflect growing concerns about the connection between corporate practices, climate change, and disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, and floods.
-
-
The Great Ripple - How a Tsunami Can Disrupt Global Trade
Shipping facilitates more than 80% of global trade, meaning disruptions to the global port network can have severe consequences for global commerce. Port disruptions are thus costly, very costly.
-
-
Boxing Day Tsunami: Here’s What We Have Learned in the 20 Years Since the Deadliest Natural Disaster in Modern History
On Boxing Day 2004, an earthquake in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia set off a tsunami which killed almost 250,000 people. It was the deadliest natural disaster this century, and was probably the deadliest tsunami in human history. It has reshaped our global disaster management systems, highlighting the importance of early warning systems, local preparations, and coastal defenses.
-
-
DOE Natural Gas Analysis Released for Public Comment
The future of U.S. liquified natural gas exports remains complicated as the incoming Trump administration will have to contend with a recent Department of Energy analysis now open for public comment.
-
-
U.S. Slow to React to Pervasive Chinese Hacking: Experts
As new potential threats from Chinese hackers were identified this week, the federal government issued one of its strongest warnings to date about the need for Americans —and in particular government officials and other “highly targeted” individuals —to secure their communications against eavesdropping and interception.
-
-
China-Based Hacker Conspired to Develop and Deploy Malware That Exploited Tens of Thousands of Firewalls Worldwide
Chinese hacker and his co-conspirators worked at the offices of Sichuan Silence Information Technology Co. Ltd. to discover and exploit a previously-unknown vulnerability (an “0-day” vulnerability) in certain firewalls.
-
-
Catastrophic Sea Level Rise Possible within Our Lifetime? Yes, Here’s How
This prospect of near-term runaway sea level rise is considerably more serious than sea level projections issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). There is thus an urgent need for climate experts to advise the government on strategic planning and risk management. This is especially true for our intelligence and national security communities.
-
-
How giant “batteries” in the Earth Could Slash Your Electricity Bills
We’re wasting too much of the clean energy we generate. Reservoirs and caverns can store excess solar and wind power.
-
-
It’ll Take Effort, Not Hype, to Finally Achieve the Hydrogen Future
Hydrogen could help decarbonize sectors including long-haul transportation, ammonia manufacturing, steel making and other industrial processes, commonly by replacing metallurgical coal and natural gas. But transitioning to hydrogen is not easy.
-
The long view
Hacking the Grid: How Digital Sabotage Turns Infrastructure into a Weapon
The darkness that swept over the Venezuelan capital in the predawn hours of Jan. 3, 2026, signaled a profound shift in the nature of modern conflict: the convergence of physical and cyber warfare. The blackout was the result of a precise and invisible manipulation of the industrial control systems that manage the flow of electricity. This synchronization of traditional military action with advanced cyber warfare represents a new chapter in international conflict, one where lines of computer code that manipulate critical infrastructure are among the most potent weapons.
Entity Resolution: The Security Technology You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
The concept “entity resolution” (ER) is probably unfamiliar, but it underpins much of the world’s security—in telecommunications, banking and national security.
West Coast Levee Failures Show Growing Risks from America’s Aging Flood Defenses
Across the U.S., levees are getting older while weather is getting more extreme. Many of these structures were never designed for the enormous responsibility they now carry.
Mexico and U.S. Look for New Deal in Long-Running Battle Over 80-year Old Water Treaty
Mexico and the US’s growing dispute over water rights further complicates an already strained relationship that must tackle existing challenges related to drug trafficking, security, migration and trade wars. Water is just the latest issue to rise to the top of the tension table.