The recent Texas storm that devastated people’s lives and left thousands without access to food, water, or warmth has revealed the effects of ignoring the climate crisis. Most of the nation’s infrastructure was built decades ago, and can no longer keep up with the damage that extreme floods, wildfires, and heat waves have been causing in recent years. Roads, railways, electrical grids, power plants, sewage systems, and homes are all cracking under the stress of weather events that they weren’t designed to support and withstand. This past week alone, for example, has left tons of people without power, broken pipes, and shut down drinking water systems. Although “it’s not always possible to say precisely how global warming influenced any one particular storm,” scientists say that an overall rise in extreme weather creates sweeping new risks.”
Being from California, this topic is especially relevant to all of us, since our state has been heavily impacted by intense wildfires that cause poor air quality, loss of property, and deaths. I think that all of these extreme weather events are a clear sign that climate change is an urgent issue that cannot be ignored any longer. Hopefully, the storms and power outages in Texas will be a wakeup call for lawmakers to take action against climate change- either way, if we don’t act soon I believe it will be too late to reverse the effects of climate change. During President Biden’s campaign he outlined a plan to reverse the effects of climate change, which includes taking steps to “Ensure the U.S. achieves a 100% clean energy economy and reaches net-zero emissions no later than 2050”. Despite this promise, some fear that the Biden administration’s plan does not reflect the urgency that the climate crisis demands. The issue of funding is also prevalent, as tackling climate change will be very expensive, but I think there really is no other choice.
Questions:
What struck you most about the Texas storms? Is it reasonable to blame climate change and poor infrastructure for the devastating impact of the storms, or are there other reasons why the situation became so bad?
Do you agree with the Biden administration’s plan to tackle climate change? Is 2050 too lofty of a goal, or will climate change be too devastating by then?
Certainly these storms in Texas are devastating and will have a long lasting impact on the communities affected. I'm hoping that conditions improve soon and people recover from this extreme weather. Personally, I don't think that it is just to blame poor infrastructure for the effects of the storm being so bad. Texas isn't equipped for these types of emergencies and I believe that it is unfair to say that they should have been better prepared. This is because previously to this, it simply didn't storm in Texas, so it wouldn't make sense to build necessary infrastructure. On the other hand, I think climate change, or more specifically the inaction to reverse the effects of climate change are to blame. I think that though these storms, we are beginning to see the detrimental effects of climate change. If the government doesn't act soon, we will continue to see instances such as what is happening in Texas around the world. A huge step that was taken by the Biden Administration just last Friday was that the US rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement. This is huge because now 189 counties are involved in working together to reduce emissions and set goals.
ReplyDeleteI was really surprised to hear about the snow within Texas as I normally view Texas being very warm and sunny. I think it’s somewhat plausible to blame climate change and poor infrastructure for the impact of the storms, however, it’s also necessary to understand that someone within Texas may not have the same understanding of how to deal with a snowstorm as someone within New York or Alaska. It’s unfair to completely blame one or the other party for the impact of the storms, it’s devastating nonetheless. This goal sounds really unrealistic and I don’t think that climate change will be reversible by then.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me most about the Texas storms was the irresponsibility of the Texas government and leaders, both past and present (especially Ted Cruz). I do think that climate change and poor infrastructure are to blame, and that Texas should have been better prepared, especially since ten years ago, when a snowstorm caused statewide blackouts, they were warned that they needed to prepare better. However, Texans didn't do this and kept their privatized energy system in order to save money and avoid regulation. Although I believe that Biden will work to prevent climate change, I think that ultimately, the Green New Deal should be passed. We're running out of time to stop a climate disaster, and we simply have to do more than we're currently doing. Texas is just another example of how Republicans reject green energy because it's "too expensive" but then end up having to pay the price later on. And it's not just the state, but the citizens, who are facing tens of thousands of dollars in energy bills. The Green New Deal will create millions of new jobs, improve infrastructure, and prevent climate disasters like this one.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/21/us/texas-electricity-ercot-blackouts.html?name=styln-texas-blackout®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Article&impression_id=&variant=show
I agree with your point that the government acted irresponsibly and could have done more to help people and prevent such a bad impact on people's lives. To my knowledge, I know Texas was having snow a few days before the storm, so I wonder if something could have been done to prepare people for it. It was also disappointing to watch government leaders like Ted Cruz not do much while people were struggling with the cold and lack of electricity/water.
DeleteI do believe it reasonable to blame the extreme weather conditions on climate change, since mainstream Texas never has seen snow in the recent years. Because climate change had a large play in this situation, it could have been hard to predict that such an intense amount of snow would occur in one year, rather than a build up. In agreeance with Ella, yes, I believe that Texas' government should've done something before the blackouts occurred, such as providing heaters and clean water for all Texans. As I mentioned before, climate change is both predictable and unpredictable, but because it was predictable, the Texas government should've implemented plans earlier, despite not knowing the extent of the snowstorm. I also think poor infrastructure had added to the problem, since Texans never had the proper housing or electrical lines to sustain a situation like this. Although in my opinion, 2050 seems quite far; I would've like to seen something closer, like 2025 or 2030, but 2050 is better than nothing. Climate change is definitely working faster as the years progress, so we should do everything we can in the meantime to lower greenhouse gases.
ReplyDeleteThe weather in Texas in the past weeks did surprise me because it seemed out of the blue. But over the past few decades more and more extreme weather has been occurring than before and it is contributed by climate change. Even though some can be confused over why it was snowing, whereas climate change is more of a warming, it is important to note that climate is over a long span of time- years or decades, and weather is over a short period of time- days, a week. So the climate has been changing and has brought more serious and destructive weather like (snow) storms, hurricanes, wild fires, drought, so at the same time it is unfortunate to say that having a massive weather event is at the same time not surprising. Looking at what my classmates have written, it can be hopeful of me to say: as we become more informed of the changing weather and climate (as scientists have been for decades), our policy makers and public servants need to be actively informed as well to know what needs to be improved or changed so that people can always rely on being safe, fed, and warm even if there is an external event which is out of anyone's hands. But all in all, there is a foreseeable goal and deadline to plan for, so hopefully that will motivate and start a strong momentum to get some big action against climate change destruction.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me most about the storms in Texas and its effects was the lack of preparation for the cold weather that stalled their energy production. I feel like Texas government leaders were probably more to blame than climate change. I think that Texas residents could have had better technology more prepared for different conditions that though may not likely occur, could happen. The power equipment and technology wasn't prepared for cold weather. I think that the Biden administration plan to tackle climate change is good and obviously heading in a right direction. I don't know how quickly though they can implement 100% clean energy. There are many clean energy alternatives already, but the further research and tech development needed to completely implement it may take longer. It's also extremely expensive, and not everyone would have access to it or be willing to change. I do think, though, that with some much new renewable energy technology, using them to be 100% clean can happen and will really affect the climate.
ReplyDeleteI think what surprised me the most was the weather and the severity of the storms in Texas. I didn't realize how severe and extreme they could be in Texas and seemed so sudden. I was aware that Texas did have extreme storms from time to time, but the extreme storms they have been facing recently is truly devastating and surprised me. I think climate change is partly to blame for the storms, as extreme weather does occur as a side affect of climate change, however, the lack of preparation and poor infrastructure is to blame for all of the damage that happened as a result of the war. If storms are common in Texas and are severe, the government should have more prepared or made adjustments to prevent such extreme damage from happening. I think that the plan the Biden Administration is good and hopefully will help the US contribute to reversing climate change and prevent climate change from progressing.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have a friend who lives in Texas and just moved there about 5 months ago. I talk to him everyday and talking to him about what has happened to him open my eyes to how bad it actually is. He didn't have power for about 5 days and when he did get power it was for about 2 hours every 12 hours. Another thing is he had to go to online school since the all the snow, but the power was out so it was really hard for him to actually do any school at all. What I also find bizarre is talking to him now he says there is no snow at all even though it was only a week ago. I would say that climate change might partly be why weather like this is in Texas. However, I think them not being prepared is more of the problem then the weather itself.
ReplyDeleteI think Biden has a good plan, 2050 does seem very far away but it's not easy to achieve his goal. Even though it will be very expensive, it is also very expensive for space relocation or to take action slower. There really is no other option and I think allocating a good amount of money to helping climate change is a good move. Like Tamilyn said, I also thought Texas was sunny and warm and having power outages due to snow seems strange. It also is unfortunate that their infrastructure isn't holding up and if climate changed isn't helped, there's going to be costly repairs in other areas also soon. Global warming has gotten to a point where there is no cheap option out, and it's better to repair long-term rather than many short-term fixes because they will just get worse.
ReplyDeleteI think that climate change may have played a role in the storms, given that this extreme weather did seem to come out of nowhere, but I can’t be sure. Like Ella, I was surprised at the Texas government’s inability to effectively deal with the effects of the storms. As I was learning more about the storms this past week, I learned about how Texas has their own electrical grid, disconnected from the federal grid, because the state government didn’t want to be subject to federal regulation. Had they been connected to the federal grid, they would have been forced to prepare for this kind of natural disaster. Texans also could have gotten power and heat had the state been connected to the federal grid, but since they weren’t, people suffered. With that being said, I believe that poor infrastructure did play a part in why the situation got so bad, as Texas was unprepared for what came.
ReplyDeleteI do think that distasters that are climate related are generally the fault of climate change. I dont think that the state goverment of texas did anything to cause the disaster. Maybe they failed to prepare for it yes, but I dont think its something that can be faulted to human error. As state since I think climate change is the issue and is the cause of the disaster I think that Joe biden's plan by 2050 is a resonably sound plan. I think as long as no future president decides to overturn the plan I think Joe Biden will have a fruitfull legacy as the president who created a meaningful enviromental plan.
ReplyDeleteGlobal climate change, often referred to as global warming has the common misconception that everything will become hotter. While this is true, that over time the climate will get hotter, global climate change results in extreme weather in both directions(as seen in Texas). I believe that Texas infrastructure and government was/is not prepared to deal with such extremes, and many suffered as a result. And a major side conflict that comes out of this is certain politicians spinning the stories to paint global warming as fake, or renewable and clean energy sources as unreliable, which will only further the climate crisis. While I think Biden's plans to help reverse climate change are good, I don't know if reversing it all by 2050 is enough or even possible, but I do hope that it is. -Rowan CC
ReplyDeleteIts logical to me to think that climate change cause this, but I would want to hear a scientist speak on this before fully labeling climate change as the responsible cause. I have seen a possible explanation of the polar vortex - cold air that swirls over the North pole and comes down when disrupted by warm weather. And I agree with those that said poor infrastructure worsens the effect of the storm; in my opinion if people are well prepared, they should be able to avoid much of what is happening now. As for Biden's plan, I think its an ambitious goal, don't know if its even achievable. But I think we do have to start somewhere and just increase our effectiveness as we go. I think the US being the most powerful country, should step up first and lead the rest of the world into doing the same.
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