More than two million homes and businesses lost power after Hurricane Beryl blasted onshore along Texas' southeast coast in early July. According to a new analysis, the risk of hurricanes' causing power outages could jump by 50% or more by the end of the century.
What's happening?
For a Category 1 hurricane, Beryl produced next-level damage in the Houston area. More than two weeks after making landfall, residents of the city were still picking up debris. The storm killed at least 36 people and left millions without power, many for several days or more.
An analysis done by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Electric Power Research Institute says that based on future climate forecasts, cities such as Houston are at risk of hurricane-caused outages climbing more than 70% per decade.
"These hurricanes can cause really devastating power outages," data scientist Julian Rice said, per The New York Times. Rice was one of the developers of an interactive map that helps people see how vulnerable their electricity might be to future hurricanes.
"It's a wake-up call that we need to be addressing our power system and making it much more reliable and much more resilient to climate related stresses," added Kristina Dahl, a co-author of the report and scientist with the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Why is a higher risk of hurricane-caused outages important?
After Beryl struck Texas' largest city, stifling heat and humidity settled in, creating dangerous conditions for victims of the storm. Power outages are particularly devastating for those who have health issues that force them to rely on things such as respirators to stay alive, which can lead to more heat-related deaths.
An analysis from the nonprofit Climate Central of all major power outages between 2000 and 2023 found that 80% were due to extreme weather events. As our world warms, studies show hurricanes are becoming stronger, intensifying more rapidly, and producing more rainfall.
The researchers for the hurricane risk outage analysis noted they used a worst-case climate change scenario based on data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. They also assumed a "static system without hardening investments," which might improve the stability of the electric grid infrastructure.
What's being done about the rising risk of power outages?
Reducing the amount of heat-trapping gasses from dirty energy sources that are raising both the planet's temperature and the future risk of power outages is crucial.
We can all support brands that are working to help cool the planet. Investing in the stocks of companies that envision a better future for our world is another way to help. Donating directly to organizations working on solutions can have a big impact too.
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