CHBE & CERC Distinguished Speaker Seminar: From Climate Risk & Resilience: Quantitative Insights at the Intersection of Energy, Water, and Public Health

Climate-driven extreme events place escalating and uneven pressure on the critical systems we rely on to deliver electricity, clean water, and public health protections. Vulnerabilities from prolonged drought, extreme heat, and wildfires vary widely across space, time, and populations— shaped by interactions between physical infrastructure, environmental conditions, and social, economic, and biological determinants. Fortifying these interconnected systems requires analytical frameworks that advance our quantitative understanding of three core dimensions of vulnerability: the intensity and frequency of climate stressor exposure; the sensitivity of infrastructure and individuals to those stressors; and the capacity to anticipate, absorb, and recover from disruption. 

In this seminar, Dr. Kelly Sanders presents research diagnosing climate-related vulnerabilities across three domains. First, Sanders explores how energy services mediate vulnerability to extreme heat—both as protective infrastructure (e.g., air conditioning) and as an exacerbating influence (e.g., anthropogenic waste heat). Second, Sanders examines the energy sector’s dependence on water, and system design strategies to reduce its susceptibility to heat and hydrologic stress. Third, Sanders assesses engineering innovations that diversify and secure climate-resilient water supplies, thereby reducing vulnerability to climate-related disruption. 

While each domain underscores tensions between climate change adaptation and mitigation priorities, the second half of the seminar presents frameworks for designing equitable, demand-side management strategies in the power sector that offer “win-win” outcomes—reducing emissions and water use, strengthening grid resilience, lowering costs, and avoiding maladaptive responses.