IEEE Electrification - June 2019 - 2

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

Electrify to
Decarbonize
By Manuel Avendaño

XTREME WEATHER AND FAILURE TO MITIGATE AND
adapt to climate change are the gravest threats facing
the world, according to the World Economic Forum's
2019 Global Risks Report. The year 2018 reminded us that climaterelated disasters-namely, storms, fires, and floods-are becoming more severe and happening more often. Meanwhile, the
United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
has issued a special report on the impacts of global warming of
1.5 °C above preindustrial levels, which could trigger more
extreme events.
In the United States, the National Climate Assessment, a report
from 13 government agencies, described the far-reaching implications of climate change and concluded that "the evidence of
human-induced climate change continues to strengthen and that
impacts are increasing across the country." In the southwest
region of the United States (and California in particular), climate
change is exacerbating the key factors that lead to wildfires: heat,
drought, and tree-murdering insect outbreaks.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection, 10 of the 20 most destructive California wildfires have
happened since 2015. The 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons demonstrated the increasing threat of wildfires to California and led to
what could be described as the first bankruptcy catalyzed by climate change. In January 2019, Pacific Gas and Electric Company,
one of the largest energy companies in the United States, filed for
bankruptcy protection, citing US$30 billion in potential liabilities
from fire-related lawsuits.
The cumulative evidence from the scientific assessment of climate change and its already palpable effects confirms that the
predicted global climate crisis has materialized. Time is running
out to implement a comprehensive climate-change response
strategy and avoid irreversible impacts. Achieving a sustainable
future requires integrated, practical, and cost-effective approaches
pursued through broad-based partnerships with governments
(local, state, federal, and tribal), businesses, organizations (including electric utilities), and individuals.

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EDITORIAL BOARD
Iqbal Husain
Editor-in-Chief
North Carolina State
University
North Carolina, USA
ihusain2@ncsu.edu
Tamas Ruzsanyi
Editor, Electric Trains
Ganz-Skoda
Hungary
tamas.ruzsanyi@ieee.org
Eduardo Pilo de la Fuente
Editor, Electric Trains
EPRail Research
and Consulting
Spain
eduardo.pilo@eprail.com
Jose Conrado Martinez
Editor, Electric Trains
Directcion de Estrategia
y Desarrollo
Spain
jcmartinez@adif.es
Suryanarayana Doolla
Editor, Microgrid
Indian Institute of
Technology Bombay
India
suryad@iitb.ac.in
Mohammad
Shahidehpour
Editor, Microgrid
Illinois Institute
of Technology
Illinois, USA
ms@iit.edu
Steve Pullins
Editor, Microgrid
GridIntellect
Tennessee, USA
steve@gridintellect.com
Antonello Monti
Editor, Microgrid
RWTH Aachen
Germany
amonti@eonerc
.rwth-aachen.de
Marta Molinas
Editor, Electric Ships
Norwegian University of
Science and Technology
Norway
marta.molinas@ntnu.no
Herb Ginn
Editor, Electric Ships
University of
South Carolina
South Carolina, USA
ginnhl@cec.sc.edu
Robert Cuzner
Editor, Electric Ships
University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Wisconsin, USA
Cuzner@uwm.edu

Chris Searles
Editor, Electric Vehicles
BAE Batteries
Wisconsin, USA
Chris.Searles@
baebatteriesusa.com
Silva Hiti
Editor, Electric Vehicles
Rivian
California, USA
silvahiti@rivian.com
Eduard Muljadi
Editor, Electric Vehicles
Auburn University
Alabama, USA
mze0018@auburn.edu
Syed A. Hossain
Editor, Electric Planes
GE Aviation
Ohio, USA
syed.hossain@ge.com
Kaushik Rajashekara
Editor, Electric Planes
University of Houston
Texas, USA
ksraja@central.uh.edu
Babak Nahid-Mobarakeh
Editor, Electric Planes
University of Lorraine
France
Babak.nahid@ieee.org
Bulent Sarlioglu
Editor, Electric Planes
University of
Wisconsin-Madison
Wisconsin, USA
bulent@engr.wisc.edu
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Theresa L. Smith
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Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MELE.2019.2906628
Date of publication: 11 June 2019

Khwaja Rahman
Editor, Electric Vehicles
General Motors
Michigan, USA
khwaja.rahman@gm.com

IE E E E l e c t r i f i c ati o n M agaz ine / J UN E 2019

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MELE.2019.2906627
http://www.rwth-aachen.de
IEEE Electrification - June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Electrification - June 2019
