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Thresholds and Tipping Points

Related Event

  • Understanding Risk Boulder 2015

Event Summary

Organization: ISET International

Session Lead

  • Marcus Moench

Speakers

  • Karen MacClune, ISET
  • James Newcomb, Rocky Mountain Institute
  • Bruce Goldstein, University of Colorado

Description

Thresholds and tipping points in the complex systems society depends on determine whether or not a storm or other disruptive event creates disaster. This session, a set of presentations and interactive dialogue, will paint a broad picture of vulnerabilities and resilience in the critical systems Boulder and other urban areas depend on. We’ll kick off with an initial set of illustrative stories from recent fire and flooding events in Colorado. This will be followed by an in-depth look at resilience issues in two areas: (1) the energy systems on which communications and most urban infrastructure depend; and (2) the institutional networks that determine whether or not resilience can be applied and sustained over the long-term. We’ll conclude and open wider discussion with brief perspectives from recent global work on thresholds and tipping points in complex urban systems.

Presentations

Thresholds and Transformation: Local Fires, Floods, and the Inter-Mountain Alliance – Karen MacClune
Fires and Other Learning Networks: Institutions for Transformative Resilience – Bruce Goldstein
Risk and Resilience for the Grid: Thresholds and Tipping Points – James Newcomb

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