Greater reliance on electricity combined with more frequent extreme weather poses risk to society

Society is becoming increasingly technologically advanced and reliant on electricity. The trend is making us more vulnerable in extreme weather conditions, which the UN climate panel, IPCC, says may be more common in future as a consequence of climate change.Powerful storms are the most likely cause of both relatively prolonged and geographically widespread disruption in the electricity supply. There are, of course, backup systems in place for essential functions in society, but these can also be affected in the event of prolonged disruption. One recent example is Storm Alfrida, which