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COMMENTARY
The Critical Role Engineers
and STEM Educators Play
in Addressing Climate
Change Challenges
Shay Bahramirad, PhD
E
ven with the end of hurricane season, America was once
again reminded of the tragic and devastating impact that
extreme weather and hurricanes can have on our communities.
This hurricane season brought devastation, loss
of life, and infrastructure damage comparable with some of
history's worst natural disasters. In September, for example,
Hurricane Helene caused devastation far beyond the coastal
regions of Florida, bringing torrential rains and flooding as far
north as North Carolina and Virginia. The Category 4 storm,
and the inland damage it caused, was the most lethal hurricane
to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005, killing
more than 200 people, displacing thousands, and leaving millions
without power.
The challenge for those of us who have dedicated our lives
to the energy and utility industry is how to best transform
our respective electric systems to provide reliable energy
capable of powering the day-to-day lives of billions, while
also being resilient enough to withstand extreme weather
events. As was poignantly stated by the Coalition for Disaster
Resilient Infrastructure, an initiative supported by the
United Nations, " building the resilience of power infrastructure
becomes all the more critical to provide reliable and
sustainable services. "
Fortifying Systems
With respect to electric infrastructure, the total cost impact of
Hurricane Helene, coupled with Hurricane Milton, which followed
just over a week later, was estimated to be $50 billion
each-and that's just two hurricanes. Meanwhile, the World
Economic Forum estimates the global cost of climate change
damage to potentially reach $16 million per hour by 2050. Making
plans today to ready our energy systems for more extreme
weather is not only imperative for our society's survival, but
also for the ability to shield ourselves from severe economic
consequences that follow when highly populated regions are
left in the dark.
As we brace ourselves for the reality of a future with more
powerful storms, the energy industry must focus on two
priorities: engineering truly resilient energy systems in every
community and addressing the growing global need for
the engineers required to make this more resilient future
happen. IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES), the world's
leading association of energy engineers, has embraced this
call for collective action. Across the industry, engineers, like
me, are engaging in unprecedented collaboration to better
plan, design, and build climate-resilient power systems. In
fact, we are working internationally to develop and adopt
higher engineering standards for infrastructure resiliency
32
and to embrace innovative solutions that help engineer the
stronger grids of the future for utilities around the world. As
a professional community, IEEE PES works to recognize and
empower both experienced and emerging engineers making
strides for the benefit of humanity-and we all must continue
to support the growth of these careers.
Most of the public may not be aware that the complex
energy systems that our societies rely on to power daily
tasks are meticulously designed and tested by engineers. As
such, building a more climate-resilient energy future across
the globe will require a substantial increase in the number
of engineering graduates. In their absence, the very pace of
progress will dramatically slow. As a result, our nation's-and
the world's-very ability to withstand the impact of climate
change and better prepare for more extreme weather events
will inexorably suffer.
Supporting STEM Education
IEEE PES has already taken steps to encourage and promote
the next generation of engineers. What we do not control,
however, is the priority the U.S. places on STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, let
alone early education, both of which are vital to developing future
engineers. For the U.S., bipartisan leadership at the local,
state, and federal levels must recognize that all the money in
the world dedicated to grid resiliency will still not supplant the
need for tens of thousands of new engineers over the next
decade who must design and help build these systems.
As significant as the work is that IEEE PES does to grow
the number of engineers, we remain dependent on policymakers
investing in the education of future engineers. Given
this importance, we believe the U.S., and every nation, must
not simply prioritize STEM at all educational levels, but must
also dramatically increase funding and support for STEM
education from early education through college. Government
and the private sector must work together to help encourage
young people from all backgrounds to seek out this rewarding
and vital profession.
Looking ahead, the work we do today to grow this critical professional
field will help determine, in no small way, our world's
ability to overcome the impacts of climate change and ensure
our societies continue to function and prosper. This challenge
may indeed be great, but given the human, economic, and social
damage we are witnessing, caused by climate change and
extreme weather impacts on our power systems, it is one we
must confront and overcome. ■
-Shay Bahramirad, PhD is president of IEEE Power and Energy
Society, as well as vice president of Transmission and Distribution
Engineering at Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
www.powermag.com
POWER | January 2025
http://www.powermag.com
pwr_january-2025

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