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John Bel Edwards keynote: Securing critical infrastructure in a changing climate

This is a recap of a session from AiDASH Evolve 2024
Summary:
- Climate change-related disasters like storms are intensifying.
- We need to evolve to ensure climate resiliency, and technology is a key component of that effort.
- There must be collaboration on climate adaptation across academia and the public and private sectors.
In his time as Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards dealt with unprecedented natural disasters, both in number and in severity. “Some used to joke that I was the ‘crisis Governor.’ But it really wasn’t a joking matter,” he said.
Former Governor Edwards, now Special Counsel for Fishman Haygood, opened AiDASH Evolve 2024 with a speech expounding on how American infrastructure is at risk from increasing storm intensity and frequency, which is endangering future generations. He also talked about what steps have been taken at both the federal and state levels to fight this problem by allocating budgets and making climate adaptation a priority.
Then, Governor Edwards sat down with Neil Chatterjee, Former Commissioner and Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), for a fireside chat. Their conversation ranged from where he saw infrastructure vulnerabilities in his time as governor to the importance of technology to the energy transition.
The rapid intensification of storms
Much of Governor Edwards’ keynote centered around the concept of evolving to meet challenges. “The great Mississippi flood came in 1927. It would have been easy to believe then that that was the end of the story for so many communities,” he said. But Louisianans adapted. “We didn’t just rebuild, we evolved,” he said.
That ability to evolve has become urgent because climate change-related threats are increasing. Over the course of his speech, Governor Edwards rattled off astonishing statistics and anecdotes about the weather-related disasters he faced while in office:
- The 2 strongest storms they’ve ever had were in 2020 and 2021, exactly a year apart.
- 1,000-year flood in 2016.
- Rapid intensification of hurricanes.
Hurricane season is getting later, lasting until November. - In 8 years, they had 244 emergencies:
- 50 of those were state disaster declarations.
- 21 of those were federal disaster declarations.
- The Gulf is warmer than ever and stays warmer later in the year.
- Natural disasters in Louisiana now include intense freezes and wildfires.
- In New Orleans, the Mississippi River was so low that salt water was coming in from the Gulf and threatening their drinking water systems.
- Approximately 2,000 miles of Louisiana coastline has disappeared since 1927.
Though storms are intensifying, Governor Edwards pointed out that the immediate impact of those storms isn’t what caused the most fatalities. Instead, they were most often related to improper generator use and carbon monoxide poisoning, as well as the effects of excessive heat, especially when air conditioning was unavailable due to power outages.
“The common denominator behind all that is if the electricity hadn’t gone off or had been restored faster, maybe some of those things wouldn’t happen.”
“It was in those moments of crisis, with hurricanes battering our shores and leaving devastation in their wake, that preparedness literally was the difference between life and death. And it is this kind of preparedness that AiDASH is pioneering by harnessing … the promise of artificial intelligence and all of the abilities that our satellites have to actually see what’s happening on the ground in real time,” he said.

Governor Edwards once again emphasized the urgency and gravity of the challenges the industry faces. “We know it’s just a matter of time before we are hit again,” he admonished.
Evolving to meet climate change challenges together — with technology
Governor Edwards said we have to be able to evolve to meet the conditions of our environment. He pointed to the benefits of technological solutions as well as collaboration — with technology providers and utilities; across political and geographical boundaries; and between government, academia, and the private sector.
“We all agree we can do better,” he said. “By adopting smarter and more reliable technology, like the technology offered by AiDASH, we really can start to rebuild that trust. We can show people that their energy providers are actually investing in solutions that not only work, but [also] anticipate problems before they actually happen.”
He pointed out how Entergy is using AiDASH already in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas, saying that this work “shows how technology can solve some of the world’s biggest problems. And it’s exactly the kind of innovation that we need to continue to evolve as a society.”
He acknowledged that some people are worried about the implications of AI, but that this context is one in which it’s used for good. “Your work is about more than just technology. It is literally about securing tomorrow.”
While acknowledging how advanced technology can make a difference, Governor Edwards emphasized that this can’t just be the work of a few trailblazers. “Every industry has to contribute, whether it’s energy, agriculture, infrastructure — you name it.”
“We’re not just solving today’s problems. We’re getting ahead, and we’re solving tomorrow’s problems today, as well,” he added.
Check out more sessions and information from Evolve 2024, and reach out to see the AiDASH Platform in action!
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