Critical infrastructure is all about the services and systems we can't live without. We depend on them to reliably and affordably supply clean water, electricity, food, transport, access to the internet and financial services. These things are so important to our everyday lives that we usually don't even think about them. They fade into the background and become invisible.

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We rely on them so much, we often don't notice they're there until they stop working. We also take for granted that they'll always be safe and keep going without any problems.

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But there is already a problem, and quite a serious one. These vast systems that enable our everyday lives aren't ready for disruptive future change. Our world is changing fast, creating an uncertain environment where complex, emergent risks evolve at an accelerating pace, have greater impacts, operate across larger scales, and don't happen in isolation, but trigger, amplify, compound and escalate one another.

 

Everything is interconnected and much of it is interdependent, meaning that a problem in one area (like energy) can quickly lead to problems in others. This means that future crises will have far-reaching consequences and are likely to happen more frequently and more severely. However, little information has been presented to the general public on what to be aware of and how to deal with it.

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This needs to change, and as a society we must be more resilient to disruptive future change. The implications of these cannot be predicted, though they can be anticipated under uncertainty and prepared for.