Critical Infrastructures
Throughout the industrialised world, society depends on a set of systems that supply food, water, public health services, energy, and transport. Other systems are used to manage information and provide communications services and to remove, dispose of and recycle wastes. In at least limited ways, these systems have always been dependent on each other. However, recent decades have witnessed a much greater and tighter integration and interdependence between them – effectively the creation of a ’system of systems’ which has no single owner or operator. While this has often yielded improved service and convenience and promoted greater efficiency, it has also led to increased social vulnerabilities in the face of accidental or intentional disruption. Today, a disruption or malfunction often has much greater impacts than was typically the case in the past, and can also propagate to other systems, resulting in further additional disruptions.
IRGC’s attention was drawn to the risks and vulnerabilities associated with critical infrastructures by a number of factors. They are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected. The services they provide are critical to society in most of the world’s countries. They are also becoming increasingly interdependent (for example, through the use of ICT for monitoring and controlling the other infrastructures) and are subject to fundamental changes in technology and in ownership and market structures.
Critical infrastructures at risk - securing the European electric power system
Managing and Reducing Social Vulnerabilities from Coupled Critical Infrastructures
For further information about IRGC’s work in the risk governance of critical infrastructures, please send an email to infrastructures@irgc.org