The Third Avenue Bridge in Manhattan is just the latest example of a world struggling to keep up with the realities of a warming planet. When the bridge, which pivots to allow ships to pass, refused to close correctly due to the swelling of its metal components in the intense heat, it served as a stark reminder that our infrastructure was designed for a climate that no longer exists.
This is a problem that extends far beyond a single bridge in New York City. From the power grid failures in Houston to the wildfires that have ravaged California, the danger signs of outdated infrastructure are becoming increasingly apparent. As the climate continues to change at a rapid pace, the systems and structures that have long underpinned our way of life are proving increasingly ill-equipped to handle the new normal.
Consider the case of Houston, the heart of the oil industry, where the electric grid still relies on the same hub-and-spoke architecture it has used for the past century. When Hurricane Beryl swept through the city, it knocked out power to more than 2 million homes, a testament to the grid's vulnerability to extreme weather events. And this was not an isolated incident; just two months earlier, a sudden windstorm had left over a million Houstonians without electricity.
The wildfires that have plagued California paint an equally troubling picture. During the recent heatwave that shattered temperature records across the West, the extreme heat made it too dangerous for firefighters to battle the flames, as they risked succumbing to heatstroke. And if the temperatures were to rise even further, the ability of water bombers and helicopters to operate would be severely compromised, crippling the firefighting effort.
The problem extends beyond infrastructure, however. Our economic systems, cultural norms, and even major industries are all struggling to adapt to the new realities of a warming world. The insurance industry, for example, was not structured to deal with the permanent flooding caused by rising sea levels. And the Summer Olympics, as well as American football, have become increasingly hazardous as temperatures soar.
Even the titans of industry are not immune to the effects of climate change. Automakers like Toyota and GM, slow to embrace the electric vehicle revolution, risk sharing the fate of Kodak at the dawn of the digital age. And even the executives of Big Oil, the very companies that have long resisted the transition to clean energy, know that their days are numbered.
It's tempting to believe that technology can provide the solution to all of these challenges. And in some cases, it has. The remarkable decline in the cost of renewable power, for example, has upended the economic paradigm that once favored fossil fuels. In Texas, a state hardly known for its environmental activism, as much as 70% of the power on the grid this year has come from renewable sources.
However, the clean energy revolution is still happening too slowly to stop the rising heat and extreme weather we are experiencing. In fact, global oil and gas consumption hit an all-time high in 2023, and so did the level of climate-warming CO2 emissions.
Air conditioning, another technological solution, has become a crucial tool for survival in ever-hotter climates. But it is not a panacea. More than 750 million people on the planet don't even have access to electricity, let alone air conditioning. And we cannot air-condition the ocean, the forests, or the fields where our food is grown.
Ultimately, addressing the climate crisis is not about building better technology. It's about rethinking everything – from where we get our energy to how we build our cities and who we elect to lead us. The sooner we stop clinging to the old ways and focus on creating a smarter, more sustainable, and more equitable future, the better off we, and every living thing on this planet, will be.
The tragedy of what has already been lost during the climate crisis is undeniable. But the potential of what can be won in this fight is worth imagining. It's time to rebuild our world, and to do it with a sense of urgency and purpose that matches the scale of the challenge before us.
