The Daily

The Blackout in Texas

Feb 17, 2021

Clifford Krauss and Brad Plumer dive into Texas's recent winter storm crisis that left millions without power. Krauss, a National energy correspondent from Houston, shares insights on the failed electric grid, while Plumer, a climate reporter, explores the implications of climate change on energy infrastructure. They discuss how deregulation exacerbated the crisis and argue for urgent reforms to adapt power systems to unpredictable extreme weather. The conversation underscores the pressing need for diverse energy sources to prevent future blackouts.

27:07

Creator website

Episode guests

Brad Plumer

Clifford Krauss

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

3min

Texas Power Crisis: Surviving the Storm

9min

Texas Blackout: A Deregulated Dilemma

7min

Adapting Power Systems to Climate Change

6min

Challenges of Power Grid Reliability in Texas

6min

An intense winter storm has plunged Texas into darkness. The state’s electricity grid has failed in the face of the worst cold weather there in decades.

The Texas blackouts could be a glimpse into America’s future as a result of climate change. Today, we explore the reasons behind the power failures.

Guest: Clifford Krauss, a national energy business correspondent based in Houston for The New York Times; and Brad Plumer, a climate reporter for The Times.

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Background reading:

Systems are designed to handle spikes in demand, but the wild and unpredictable weather linked to global warming will very likely push grids beyond their limits.
As a winter storm forced the Texas power grid to the brink of collapse, millions of people were submerged into darkness, bitter cold and a sense of indignation over being stuck in uncomfortable and even dangerous conditions.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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