Sustainable Critical Infrastructure Systems A Framework for Meeting 21st Century Imperatives: Report of a Workshop (2009) / Chapter Skim
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1 Why Critical Infrastructure Systems Matter
1 Why Critical Infrastructure Systems Matter
Pages 7-12
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From page 7... ...
They are the "lifeline systems" that physically tie together metropolitan areas, communities, and neighborhoods, and facilitate the growth of local, regional, and national economies. These interdependent systems work together to provide the essential services of a modern society: • Water for a vast array of needs, including drinking, wash ing, cooking, firefighting, farming, and sanitation, as well as for manufacturing, industrial, and mining processes; • Power for numerous uses, including heat, light, refrigera tion, cooking, food processing, and security purposes; the production of durable goods; and the operation of oil and gas refineries, the Internet, television, and appliances; • Mobility for people, materials, goods, and services to and from workplaces, markets, schools, recreational facilities, and other destinations; • Connectivity for purposes of communication, public safety, emergency services, financial transactions, and
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From page 8... ...
Critical infrastructure systems also affect the quality of the environment and the availability of natural resources for other uses. Electric power and transportation account for 40 percent and 29 percent, respectively, of the nation's total annual energy use; together they account for more than 50 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions linked to global climate change (EIA, 2008b)
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From page 9... ...
businesses and industries, it is expected and relied on that the required infrastructure is available to transport raw materials, to manufacture products, to deliver food and durable goods to markets and ports, and to enable the sharing of ideas and the conduct of transactions electronically. By 2030, an additional 60 million Americans and unknown numbers of businesses will have similar demands and expectations for the services provided by these systems (U.S.
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From page 10... ...
Attacks on CIKR could significantly disrupt the functioning of government and business alike and produce cascading effects far beyond the targeted sector and physical location of the incident. Direct terrorist attacks and natural, manmade, or technological hazards could produce catastrophic losses in terms of human casualties, property destruction, and economic effects, as well as profound damage to public morale and confidence.
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From page 11... ...
Figure 1-1.eps high resoluton jpg bitmapped image inconvenience individuals, pose risks to communities during and after emergencies, and inhibit the nation's capacity to move goods and services efficiently to domestic and international markets. How the nation chooses to renew these systems will have a direct bearing on local, regional, and national economies and on the quality of life for more than 300 million Americans.
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From page 12... ...
The report focuses on broad concepts; others have written about these issues in much greater detail in various studies and articles. The report does not make specific recommendations, but instead it identi fies a framework for developing a new paradigm for investing in and renewing critical infrastructure systems in ways that will also help meet other 21st century challenges.
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