GRF · Regional cooperation
Isifunda saseNyakatho Melika
North America runs on integrated electricity, energy, transport and manufacturing ezinqamula across Canada, the United States and Mexico, exposed to wildfire, heat, flood, hurricanes and Arctic change. The Colorado River operating guidelines expire at the end of 2026. Canada and the United States agreed in principle to modernise the Columbia River Treaty in 2024. Smoke from the 2023 wildfires crossed the border for months. The region is forming; two hubs are planned, none operates.
North America region on the record.
- 01IsikhungoI-Global Risks Forum (GRF)
- 02Izinhlelo ezabiwayoQuestions that cross borders in North America
- 03Frameworks in forceBilateral and trilateral arrangements on shared systems
- 04Dialogue questionsQuestions a regional dialogue could take up
- 05Izikhungo ezihlelelweIzindima zokuxhumanisa, hhayi amahhovisi
- 06GRF’s roleLeadership, dialogue and tested arrangements in the region
- 07State and boundariesWhat is in place, and what is not
Questions that cross borders in North America.
| Shared system | Question for regional work |
|---|---|
| Integrated electricity and energy | How do interties, gas supply, extreme cold and heat create cross-border reliability risk? |
| Continental supply chains | Which border crossings, rail networks and ports concentrate exposure for integrated manufacturing? |
| Great Lakes, Colorado and Rio Grande waters | How do drought, allocation and quality pressures change water security across shared basins? |
| Umlilo wamahlathi, heat and smoke | Which health, power and transport ezinqamula fail together during cross-border wildfire seasons? |
| Data centres and compute | How do data-centre growth, grid capacity and water use interact, and what continuity do public services need? |
These are research questions from the regional programme design maintained by the Consortium Secretariat. They are questions to test, not findings, and no result is published for them yet.
Water now in North America.
Flood water, rain, night lights and population density over North America, from NASA GIBS. Each layer carries its own date.
Imephu esebenzisanayo idinga i-JavaScript; uhlu lwezendlalelo nemithombo luphansi.
Izendlalelo 4
Water now, for this page
About this layer
- Ubufakazi
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Umthombo
- VIIRS Global Flood Product (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite detection; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-14
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite detection; clouds leave gaps. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- this site's data relay, from gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov
About this layer
- Ubufakazi
- Estimated
- Umthombo
- GPM IMERG (NASA GES DISC)
- Provider
- NASA GES DISC
- Licence
- Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite estimate, near real time
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-12
- Resolution
- about 2 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite estimate, near real time. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- this site's data relay, from gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov
About this layer
- Ubufakazi
- Observed
- Umthombo
- VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2) (NASA LAADS DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA LAADS DAAC
- Licence
- Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite radiance, corrected for moonlight and atmosphere
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-12
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite night-time radiance for the date shown; lights are a proxy for electricity use and outages, not a measurement of supply or access.
- Reached through
- this site's data relay, from gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov
About this layer
- Ubufakazi
- Estimated
- Umthombo
- Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University))
- Provider
- NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Vintage
- null; Census-based estimate, static (2020)
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Census-based estimate of people per square kilometre in 2020, shown as exposure context; not a count of people affected by any hazard.
- Reached through
- this site's data relay, from gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov
About this layer
- Ubufakazi
- Observed (clouds and overpass timing leave gaps)
- Umthombo
- VIIRS NOAA-20 375 m (FIRMS) (NASA LANCE FIRMS)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE FIRMS
- Licence
- Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite detection; clouds and overpass timing leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-13
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite hot-spot detections for the day shown, including gas flares and industrial heat; not a confirmed fire, an incident report or a warning.
- Reached through
- this site's data relay, from gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov
About this layer
- Ubufakazi
- Modelled
- Umthombo
- SMAP Level 4 (NASA NSIDC DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA NSIDC DAAC
- Licence
- Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- Vintage
- daily; Model with satellite data assimilated
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-11
- Resolution
- about 2 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Model with satellite data assimilated. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- this site's data relay, from gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov
Ikhibhodi, kugxilwe emephini
Bamba u-Ctrl noma u-⌘ bese uskrola ukuze usondeze
Okutholakala kwakamuva
NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth
Iyalayisha izithombe zakamuva ze-NASA.
Donsa ukuze unyakazise. U-Ctrl noma u-⌘ bese uskrola, ucindezele ngeminwe emibili noma izinkinobho ukuze usondeze; beka isikhombi ukuze ubone amanani aphansi kwaso; ukusetha kabusha kubuyisela esifundeni.
Water now, framed on North America.Imikhiqizo yesathelayithi nemodeli njengoba i-NASA iyishicilela, ngayinye nosuku lwayo. Ziyizikhombisi, ayisikho ukuhlolwa kwanoma yiphi indawo.
Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · NASA EONET · NASA GPM IMERG Early · U.S. Geological SurveyImithombo namalayisense
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- GPM IMERG precipitation, NASA Precipitation Processing System; distributed by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). doi:10.7927/H49C6VHW. CC BY 4.0
- NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), VIIRS 375 m active fire product, NASA LANCE; vector tiles via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- SMAP Level 4 soil moisture and snow mass, NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office; distributed by the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center DAAC; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Cite as: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (2019). ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003. doi:10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003. Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- Kwenziwe nge-Natural Earth. Idatha yamamephu yamahhala ye-vector ne-raster ku-naturalearthdata.com. Esizindeni somphakathi
- © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). ODbL
- Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Idatha evulekile ye-NASA
- Umongo ephaseleni nasemephini oyisicaba: amagoda olwandle, imingcele, imigwaqo namagama ezindawo avela emaleyeni ereferensi e-NASA GIBS (idatha ye-OpenStreetMap, ODbL, © abafaki be-OpenStreetMap); izithombe ze-Blue Marble njengesisekelo ongasikhetha; umhlaba we-3D nokufundwa kokuphakama okuvela enkombeni yombala wokuphakama ye-ASTER GDEM (amakilasi e-5 m kuya ku-200 m, andiswe ukuze afundeke kahle). Imingcele idwetshwe njengoba ishicilelwe futhi ayisho sikhundla ngasiphi isifunda.
- Imicimbi eqondene nesikhathi samanje: NASA Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET); imicimbi iyisikhombisi kuphela futhi igcina izixhumanisi zomthombo wayo wokuqala.
- Bukhoma: NASA EONET Imicimbi iyisikhombisi, akuyizixwayiso zesiphathimandla.
- Live: NASA GPM IMERG Early. We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- Bukhoma: U.S. Geological Survey Imicimbi iyisikhombisi, akuyizixwayiso zesiphathimandla.
- NASA GIBS: We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- Isibikezelo sokugcwala komfula, izinsuku ezingu-30 ngobubanzi (GloFAS nge-Open-Meteo): Iqukethe ulwazi lwe-Copernicus Emergency Management Service olushintshiwe lwango-2026; akusona isexwayiso sezikhukhula.
- Past year, daily temperature (ERA5 via Open-Meteo): Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
- Past year, daily temperature and sunshine (NASA POWER): These data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) POWER Project funded through the NASA Earth Science/Applied Science Program..
- Idatha yesimo sezulu ivela ku-Open-Meteo.com (https://open-meteo.com/), enelayisense ye-CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Optional layers (14 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.
Izendlalelo nezinsuku
- Amanzi esikhukhula, inhlanganisela yezinsuku ezi-3: VIIRS Global Flood Product, NASA LANCE · 14 Okt 2026
- Izinga lemvula, isilinganiso sosuku: GPM IMERG, NASA GES DISC · 12 Okt 2026
- Amalambu ebusuku, nsuku zonke: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Okt 2026
- Ukuminyana kwabantu, 2020: Abantu: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · okungashintshi
- Imililo esebenzayo nokungajwayelekile kokushisa: VIIRS NOAA-20 375 m (FIRMS), NASA LANCE FIRMS · 13 Okt 2026
- Root-zone soil moisture, 0 to 100 cm: SMAP Level 4, NASA NSIDC DAAC · 11 Oct 2026
Bilateral and trilateral arrangements on shared systems.
- The International Joint Commission under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 for Canada and the United States, and the International Boundary and Water Commission for the United States and Mexico.
- The North American Electric Reliability Corporation, whose reliability standards apply across the interconnected grid.
- Mutual aid and wildfire resource sharing arrangements across the borders.
- The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the Columbia River Treaty, the latter under modernisation talks.
Questions a regional dialogue could take up.
| Umbuzo | Institutions involved |
|---|---|
| How are wildfire firefighting resources shared when fire seasons overlap across the continent? | Federal, state, provincial and tribal fire agencies |
| How do grid operators coordinate during extreme cold or heat events that span interconnections? | Reliability coordinators, regulators |
| How are shared rivers governed when drought cuts deliveries under a treaty? | Boundary commissions, water agencies, irrigation districts, tribal nations |
Coordination roles, not offices.
The Consortium Secretariat sits with the Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI) in Toronto, Ontario. GCRI US is a separate organisation with its own legal identity. The Global Risks Alliance (GRA) publishes a Canada Nexus Consortium programme page, marked as forming; its earlier capability and finance statements are under publisher review before reuse. Mexico also takes part in the Latin America and the Caribbean region.
| Planned hub | Programme focus | State |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | National adaptation, sovereign compute, Indigenous and Arctic interfaces, infrastructure and North American coordination | Planned |
| United States | Federal, state, Tribal and territorial interfaces; power, digital infrastructure, hazard resilience and supply chains | Planned |
A planned hub is a proposed coordination role for shared-system work across a group of countries. It is not an operating site, an office or an exclusive territory, and countries listed in a hub’s scope do not, by that fact, have constituted programmes.
Leadership, dialogue and tested arrangements in the region.
Umlilo wamahlathi and grids show why convening matters here. Federal, state, provincial, Tribal and municipal authorities and operators share the same smoke, interties and supply chains. Binational commissions and reliability bodies hold their own mandates. GRF’s dialogues support them.
Shared-system dialogues
Documented dialogues among the authorities, operators, Tribal and First Nations governments and communities who share a basin, grid or corridor, with agreements and dissent recorded.
Regional roles in formation
Regional leadership roles are in formation; their scope is published only once adopted. See Ubuholi bezifunda.
Cross-border missions
Regional missions, such as a wildfire season affecting interties, air quality and evacuation routes on both sides of a border, can be proposed to I-Universe for admission at gate G1.
Regional dialogue records and reviewed mission findings are designed to inform the Regional Systems series of Reports and the Universe Annual Synthesis. A recurring gap in common methods can be filed as a change proposal to the Nexus Standards.
What is in place, and what is not.
- Programme state: forming. No regional programme decision, host agreement or hub is described as operating.
- National structures keep agenda authority and may decline participation or data sharing.
- No regional body binds a country, and withdrawal never erases other parties’ lawful work.
- GRF convenes and records. It does not regulate, finance, procure or certify.
Where to go next.
Write to the regional desk, run by the Consortium Secretariat: the contact form (North America desk). The acknowledgement gives a reference and names the next step. The technical view: GCRI’s North America region page. The financial view: GRA’s North America region page. Other regions: I-Afrika, Asia and the Pacific and the full list on Regional cooperation.
Where this page’s references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
Questions and answers.
Does the Secretariat’s seat in Toronto make Canada the regional host?
Is the Canada programme of the Nexus Consortiums operating?
How does my institution take part in North America?
Are there results for this region yet?
Bring a governance question to the Forum.
Information and enquiries are open today. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.
Legal documents.
Show all 18 legal documents
Maps, data and figures on this site are shown for context and general information. They are not advice, forecasts or warnings; the limits of the information are set out in the Disclaimers and Data Notices.