October 27, 2020
A new study co-authored by Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment director Carol Barford, showcases the vulnerability of cellular networks as it relates to wildfires. In fact, the study shows that approximately one in four people in the United States is served by cellular phone towers at risk of an outage caused by wildfires.
"Our results, together with the wildfires in 2020 so far, underscore the urgency of both mitigating climate change and adapting in informed and robust ways” said Barford. “The crazy quilt of wildfire, power outage, cell communication and first response requires thoughtful planning for the years ahead."
To aid in this planning, Barford and her co-authors offer recommendations for decreasing tower vulnerability and mitigating the risks associated with a network outage. Read more.