In 2019, the climate crisis captured the nation’s attention in a notable and urgent way. Perhaps it was a reaction to the Trump administration rolling back numerous environmental protections, or Greta Thunberg’s electrifying speech at the U.N., or climate change effects being felt across the country. For Texans, talk of climate change escalated as the state experienced several extreme meteorological and environmental events, weather catastrophes that seemed to signal our new normal.
Climate Change Will Drive Up Energy Use in Texas
Over the summer, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) urged customers to decrease their electricity consumption during the most sweltering part of the day. That’s because the state’s grid system had the lowest reserve margins in the country, a reality that could become more common as global energy demand continues to rise. (Some estimates say it will grow as much as 58 percent by the middle of the century.)
