Climate Risks and Infrastructure Resilience

Climate change is reshaping the risk landscape for critical infrastructure worldwide. Rising temperatures, extreme storms, flooding, droughts, and wildfires are placing increasing stress on energy systems, water networks, transportation, and communications. Recent events, from heat waves straining electricity grids to floods disrupting transport and water systems, demonstrate how climate impacts can quickly cascade across interconnected infrastructure.

We will host three experts who will explore different angles of climate change impacts on critical infrastructure:

Amb. Dr. Ronen Hoffman: Climate Policy in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape
How do global tensions influence climate decisions in practice? Dr. Hoffman will open the session with a geopolitical overview, unpacking how shifting alliances and international pressures are shaping climate policy, and what that means for resilience planning.

Prof. Yael Parag: Climate Change and the Electric System: Where Do We Even Start?
What does climate change mean for the electric system in practice? Prof. Parag will explore the potential impacts—from shifting demand patterns to increasing system stress, and how we begin adapting infrastructure to a world where climate conditions are no longer stable.

Sunny Wescott: Geospatial Intelligence and Cascading Infrastructure Risk
How are extreme weather events reshaping risk across critical infrastructure systems?
Sunny will bring the geospatial intelligence perspective, showing how disruptions propagate globally, through resource constraints and operational strain, and how these pressures can amplify instability and increase the risk of unrest.

Online event, Wednesday, April 15, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm EST

Meet Our Speakers

Prof. Yael Parag, Head of the Energy Program, Reichman University, Israel

Prof. Yael Parag is Head of the Energy Program and former Vice Dean of the School of Sustainability at Reichman University, Israel. She holds a BSc degree in Biology, and MA and PhD degrees in the social sciences. Between 2005–2011 she was a senior researcher in the Energy Group of the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) at the University of Oxford. Her research is at the forefront of addressing critical energy challenges, with a primary focus on future and decarbonized electricity systems, energy security, and infrastructure resilience under climate risks. She studies how increasingly decentralized, digitalized, and electrified energy systems reshape vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities, particularly at the grid’s edge. Her work explores prosumer markets, peer-to-peer energy trading, community energy, microgrids and electricity islands, demand flexibility and EV charging management, as well as consumer behavior and engagement with smart energy technologies, in the context of maintaining secure and resilient energy systems. Prof. Parag has won prestigious and competitive research grants, and her work has been published in leading academic journals. She serves as an editorial board member of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews and Energy Research and Social Science.

Sunny Wescott, Chief Meteorologist - Emergency Response Specialist, Executive Director - Geospatial Intelligence ISAC, USA

Chief Meteorologist Sunny Wescott specializes in extreme weather events impacting emergency response, supply chain, and critical infrastructure. During her time in the US Air Force as a Lead Meteorologist, Ms. Wescott trained on continental and oceanic weather as the Top Forecaster for her support region and is considered a subject matter expert for multiple climatological events such as drought, subsidence, wildfires, tropical cyclones, and winter storms. Ms. Wescott also graduated top of her class for her degrees in Homeland Security Management, Public Safety Administration, and Atmospheric Sciences. Ms. Wescott focuses on operational forecasting by providing focused impact reports for regions, sites, security, and key interdependencies such as energy and telecommunications before, during, and after disasters.

Amb. Dr. Ronen Hoffman, President, EIS Council, USA

Dr. Ronen Hoffman is an Accomplished academic, public figure, manager, diplomat, and entrepreneur with extensive expertise in organizational leadership, think-tanks management, community relations, leadership and resilience development, education, international relations, and public policy. Notable positions include serving as Ambassador of Israel to Canada, Member of Knesset and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Co-Founder and Founding General Director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, Director of the Herzliya Conference, Personal Aide to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Advisor to the Minister of Defense, and Coordinator of the Israeli delegation to peace negotiations with Syria. Founder of Kimama Educational Programs (Kimama Camps) and developer of the ELI (Exploration, Leadership & Innovation) program at Tel Aviv University.

Dr. Chris Beck, Chief Scientist and Vice President for Policy, EIS Council, USA

Dr. Beck has led critical infrastructure resilience strategy at EIS Council since 2011, focusing on mitigating long-duration, Black Sky power outages. A nationally recognized expert in critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, emerging threats, and homeland security policy, he previously served as Subcommittee Staff Director and Senior Advisor for Science & Technology at the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security (2005–2011). Before his government roles, he worked in the office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and held academic positions as a postdoctoral fellow and adjunct professor at Northeastern University. Dr. Beck holds a PhD in Physics from Tufts University and a B.S. in Physics from Montana State University, and he served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

Lihi Rotem Ganani, CMO, Ginom, Spain

Lihi Rotem Ganani is leading global initiatives that strengthen resilience through digital engagement, innovation, and community-building. She oversees marketing, branding, and driving collaboration across sectors. Based in Madrid, Lihi previously worked at IE Business School, where she developed innovation programs connecting corporates, startups, and students. Earlier in her career, she practiced law in Israel and served as a judicial clerk in the District Court. She holds degrees in Business, Law, and Digital Transformation and Innovation Leadership.

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