Texas in the Spotlight: Winter Storm Uri and the Texas Energy Crisis

Friday, June 25, 2021

9:00 am - 10:30 am

About the Event:

Managing disruptive challenges is critical to progress and prosperity. The Resilience Series invites conversations on recent adversities that have impacted our society with an eye towards developing long-lasting strategies to mitigate, assess, predict, protect, educate and recover from natural hazards.

In its inaugural launch, the series places Texas in the Spotlight. Never has a single state faced as many challenges as Texas has with 124 separate billion-dollar disasters since 1980. The years 2017 through the current year, in particular, have brought numerous disruptions on a scale never seen before that have affected every part of Texas and all of its communities. The speakers in the Series will share their insights on lessons learned in the most recent challenges of winter storms, infectious disease, and hurricanes with an eye towards resilience, sustainability, and continued prosperity for a future Texas and its people.

About the Speaker:

Michael Webber, Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources, UT Austin & Chief Science and Technology Officer, ENGIE

With Moderator Danny Reible, Ph.D., Donovan Maddox Distinguished Engineering Chair, Horn Professor, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering, Texas Tech

Michael E. Webber, Ph.D., is based in Paris, France where he serves as the Chief Science and Technology Officer at ENGIE, a global energy & infrastructure services company. Webber’s expertise spans research and education at the convergence of engineering, policy, and commercialization on topics related to innovation, energy, and the environment. His latest book Power Trip: the Story of Energy was published May 7, 2019 by Basic Books with a 6-part companion series that will air on PBS starting Earth Day 2020. His first book, Thirst for Power: Energy, Water and Human Survival, which addresses the connection between earth’s most valuable resources and offers a hopeful approach toward a sustainable future, was published in 2016 by Yale Press and was converted into a documentary by Alpheus Media.

He was selected as a Fellow of ASME and as a member of the 4^th class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars, which is a leadership training program organized by Presidents George W. Bush and William J. Clinton. Webber has authored more than 400 publications, holds 6 patents, and serves on the advisory board for Scientific American.

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