Texas has been experiencing extreme weather events more and more in recent years. For instance, record-breaking heat waves reached three digits in the Lone Star State in 2024. Meanwhile, one of the most extreme droughts in the state’s history occurred from the fall of 2010 to the winter of 2014. Although it was shorter than the 1950s drought, the whole of Texas was affected by it.
Unfortunately, these extreme weather conditions are only expected to become worse and worse by the year. According to a report which predicts extreme weather trends through 2036, there will be an increase in temperature, in particular, a fourfold increase in the number of 100-degree days compared to the 70s and 80s. In addition, droughts, along with urban flooding risks and wildfires are also expected to rise.
“A changing Texas climate presents many challenges,” John Nielsen-Gammon, the report’s author who is also a Texas A&M University professor and state climatologist, told Texas A&M Today, “but our ability to monitor and predict those climate changes makes it easier to deal with them.”
Also crucial is our ability to come up with solutions to prevent this dreary future from happening, minimize its impact on future generations, or adapt to the inevitable. Texas offers the following solutions to the climate change issues it is facing.
Create Cooling Centers
With temperatures expected to rise in the Lone Star State in the coming years, you can expect the heat to become deadly. In fact, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, 45 people, on average, have died each year in the state because of exposure to the heat.
During the recent heat waves that struck the country, Texas created cooling centers, which are air-conditioned public places that serve as safe spaces for people to cool down in times of extreme heat. A place to stay cool during periods when high temperatures rage during the day is essential to stay cool and hydrated.
Cooling centers are typically libraries, recreation buildings, senior centers, and parks, which are spread across cities, such as San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas. They are especially important for seniors, young children, individuals with existing medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, outdoor workers, homeless residents, and those without air conditioning.
Plant More Trees
The heat can be unbearable during the summer or an extremely hot day. If you live in the city or other highly urbanized neighborhoods, you might find the heat to be worse than the surrounding area. This is because roads, buildings, and other infrastructure absorb heat and reflect that heat back to us in a phenomenon called the urban heat island effect.
However, if the city has more trees, they can help reduce the warm temperature that’s typical in the metros. Trees provide shade and deflect solar radiation, which significantly cools the environment.
Several big Texan cities have come up with their own plans on how to tackle this problem. For instance, Dallas implemented its Urban Forest Master Plan, which basically aims to protect or preserve its existing urban forest. Austin set a goal of reaching at least 50% tree canopy cover. Meanwhile, Houston plans on planting more trees to increase its tree canopy cover from nearly 18% to 23%.
More Green Infrastructure
Green infrastructure is the term used to refer to the network of natural and built green spaces, which include gardens and parks. Its goal is to facilitate greater filtration and absorption of rainwater in the city. In addition, it might also even reuse rainwater.
Examples of green infrastructure include:
- Rain gardens,
- Planter boxes,
- Bioswales and grassed swales,
- Permeable pavements,
- Green roofs,
- Downspout disconnection,
- Constructed wetlands,
- Rainwater harvesting,
- Green streets and alleys,
- Green parking,
- Urban forestry,
- Land conservation, and
- Living shorelines.
Dallas uses rain gardens, permeable pavement, and parks, most notably the Klyde Warren Park that connects the Uptown and Arts District. Meanwhile, in Houston, there are parks, rain gardens, bioswales and other green spaces aimed at the twofold goal of reducing flooding and improving air quality in the city.
Reduce Carbon Emissions
Another major way Texas is anticipating and/or combating climate change is through its carbon emissions goals. The state needs to do this because it is one of the biggest contributors of greenhouse gasses in the country, thanks to its fuel extraction and petrochemical production industries.
Different cities have their own carbon emissions reduction goals and plans. Here are a couple of them.
Austin
Austin aims to achieve net-zero community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. The initiative is part of the Austin Climate Equity Plan, which also has reducing emissions by 2030 as another objective. The plan’s goals encompass five areas, as follows: (1) sustainable buildings, (2) transportation and land use, (3) transportation electrification, (4) food and product consumption, and (5) natural systems.
Houston
Similarly to Austin, Houston also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and ultimately achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This goal is important for the city because of the presence of the petrochemical industry in the region. Meanwhile, the Port of Houston Authority also aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Organic Regenerative Agriculture
Another area where Texas is experimenting with possible solutions to climate change issues is agriculture. Farmers saw and experienced firsthand what happens to crops during periods of long droughts and heat waves.
So, in an effort to prepare for such scenarios in the future, some Texas farmers have started to look to organic practices or regenerative agriculture in an effort to keep the soil healthy and conserve water.
Admittedly, regenerative agriculture is harder work than the common practice of farming in the area. However, at least one farmer is already seeing some results: His pumpkins are looking better now than they did six years prior under the sun and in drought conditions.
“I try to encourage farmers, who do have some irrigation water left, to start implementing some of these practices,” Katie Lewis, a soil scientist for Texas A&M AgriLife in Lubbock, told The Texas Tribune. “So their soil is in a better state and able to capture and store moisture better.”