By: Nathan Palomares
The World Affairs Council of Orange County is hosting another infrastructure tour at the Orange County Water District’s Groundwater Replenishment System on Friday, Aug. 28, at 1 p.m. in Fountain Valley. WACOC members will be provided with an informative two-hour walking tour of the facility and learn more about national security infrastructure and our ecosystem with worsening climate change.
The two main issues closely related to our nation’s infrastructure are the climate crisis and the rise of new, dangerous technologies utilized in cyberwarfare.
Climate Change:
According to a UN report on the State of the Global Climate 2025, the Earth’s energy imbalance is at its highest level on record, with the past 11 years being the warmest ever. The heating of the Earth is causing ocean temperatures to rise and the ocean to become more acidic (UN, 2026).
In sum, our water supply is being threatened, with climate change being one of the key drivers of freshwater degradation in a world where only 0.5% of water is usable (NPR, 2026). This is putting pressure on water infrastructure, and something the infrastructure tour will touch on.
Cybersecurity:
In an increasingly dangerous world, with International Relations’ theory of realism making a comeback with the wars in Ukraine and Iran, national security is being threatened with new forms of cyberwarfare. Inevitably, critical water infrastructure is becoming a target (NPR, 2026).
More specifically, as the U.S. becomes entangled in Iran, the nation’s vital infrastructure, equipped with aging and more vulnerable technology, is sitting ducks for attacks.
These attackers can ransom or steal data, cause disruptions, and explode pipelines by fluctuating the water pressure. Furthermore, as the Trump administration slashed the federal cybersecurity workforce, many local water facilities have been left on their own on the front lines against hackers (NPR, 2026).
The World Affairs Council, Helping Navigate The Way:
Local critical infrastructure in Orange County is increasingly having to deal with the global climate crisis, cyberattacks from international actors, and, on top of that, provide constant services to the millions of people who call the OC home.
This is why the World Affairs Council of Orange County is hosting this tour to provide clarity and educate its members about facilities that are often overlooked. While much of what is shown in the news may seem disconnected from your local community, across oceans away, the WACOC recognizes the importance of global events to the functioning of our home and is one of the few organizations that can provide valuable perspectives on OC’s vital infrastructure.
With many of the council’s members being former public servants and professionals from all career paths, the organization is well-equipped to take the lead in community education.
