Energy, Policy, & Critical Infrastructure

Energy and climate change are perennial policy issues and political concerns for cities, states/provinces, and countries around the world. Motivated by the challenges of energy security, climate resilience, economic prosperity and environmental sustainability, politicians and the public are seeking a lower carbon energy future fueled by cleaner, more efficient energy technologies. The provision of reliable, affordable, and efficient energy services is a prerequisite to every aspect of our modern life, including education, health and safety, economic growth, mobility, communication, and these energy services underpin our water, food, and national security. Changes in energy resources and their attendant critical infrastructures bring changes in economic, political, and social power and the energy transition currently sweeping the globe brings with it the disruptive forces that are unsettling vested economic interests, extant political alliances, and individual and institutional habits.

This course will examine the current energy transition through the multiple lenses of economic prosperity, political stability, and critical infrastructure. The course will provide the student a thorough understanding of the various risk factors and societal and political vulnerabilities to the provision of reliable energy services due to climate change and the transition to zero carbon energy economies. The course will provide the student an in-depth appreciation of the multiple dimensions of the energy-socio-political dynamic and climate change, as well as the skills necessary to critically evaluate domestic and international policy debates surrounding our energy technology choices and the critical infrastructure networks that form around our energy choices.