In February, extreme cold and an unusual winter storm left millions of Texans in the dark. But it does not have to.
Many Texans sat for almost five days without temperature or below zero temperature. Americans in neighboring states like Oklahoma had minor interruptions, such as the outflows of the country, but experienced nothing like Texans. This is because Texas is on its own electrical network, separate from the rest of the country, so that it cannot easily get power from other states in an emergency.
But the Texas grid itself is not what failed. Power went out over Texas in the first place because energy sources across the state were unprepared for severe weather. And it does not have to happen; Texas has been warned about this exact scenario and has actually experienced versions of it twice in the last thirty years. But the state did not prepare.
The rest of the US now has the same problem. Climate change is causing severe weather disasters more and more. And the US energy system is not ready for that.
Watch the video above to learn more about what happened in Texas and why it should be a warning sign for the rest of the United States.
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