| Notes |
John Nielsen-Gammon is a regents professor at Texas A&M University; he was named state climatologist by then-Gov. George W. Bush in 2000. Margaret Spellings is president and CEO of Texas 2036, whose mission is to “enable Texans to make policy decisions through accessible data, long-term planning and statewide engagement” to ensure Texas is the best place to live and work. She served as U.S. secretary of education for President George W. Bush.
Data make hard conversations easier, and few conversations have been as difficult as the one around climate. It was important to us — as, respectively, Texas’ state climatologist and the CEO of a non-profit organization focused on Texas’ future — to bring a new lens to this issue. We wanted to take a data-driven look at extreme weather trends to get insight into the future that Texans need to prepare for.
The data show that Texas’ climate has been changing. That’s the conclusion of a scientific report by Texas A&M University researchers, funded in part by Texas 2036, that observed and analyzed historical meteorological and climate data for Texas. If, as expected, current trends continue, our changing climate will pose more challenges to Texans living here in 2036 — the year Texas turns 200 — than today in several ways:
The number of 100-degree days will double
This data, which is consistent with data produced by climate-prediction models widely used by scientists, show that as Texas prepares to add 10 million more people by 2036 and build an economy with 7 million to 8 million more jobs, Texas policymakers and business leaders need to prepare for a future that looks different from the past.
Big cities such as Houston must prepare for more frequent episodes of extreme rainfall and flooding, as the city is doing through its recently released Resilient Houston plan. At the same time, rural communities in West Texas should plan for more intense droughts. |