We built our world for a climate that no longer exists

Earlier this week, the Third Avenue Bridge in Manhattan had to be shut down because the bridge – which pivots to allow ships to pass – wouldn’t close correctly. Why? Because it was so hot in New York City that day the metal in the bridge swelled, and the closing mechanism wouldn’t work. Firefighters had to spray water on the structure for several hours to cool it off before the bridge could be reopened to traffic.

A tragedy? Hardly. But it’s evidence of one of the central truths of our time, and one that is becoming more and more apparent every day: We have built our world for a climate that no longer exists.

Consider Houston, the throne of Big Oil, where the electric grid has the same hub-and-spoke basic architecture as it did 100 years ago. This week, Hurricane Beryl knocked out power to more than 2 million homes. Yes, hurricanes are devastating. But less than two months earlier, a sudden windstorm in the city blacked out electricity for more than a million people.

How many blackouts will it take before we realize today’s power grid was built for yesterday’s climate?