How to better ease the effects of climate change - KXAN.com
KXAN Weather: How businesses and governments can help in the climate change
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Zolton Nagy is an assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of Texas Austin. He authored an article on how homeowners, businesses and government entities can and should do a better job when it comes to combating the effects of climate change.
Nagy said single-family homes represent about 70% of residential buildings and nearly 20% of U.S. energy consumption in Texas and the United States.
Homeowners can help the effort by making energy-saving adjustments during peak hours including delaying the use of energy-heavy appliances until off-peak hours. They should adjust the thermostat during times of peak demand.
He wrote about how businesses need to come up with innovative technologies that increase demand flexibility and response. They can invest in the creation of smart devices that will allow homes to better sync with what ERCOT is doing.
His article also addressed the government’s need to enhance its role by coming up with policies that allow for a needed increase in the number of renewables. He feels the most recent legislative session did not do enough to support needed energy reforms and neglected the potential for renewables.
Nagy believes business opportunities for utilities are necessary to create products that utilize efficient load coordination. Businesses and homeowners can work in tandem to help create such needed advanced technologies.
Individual action and a collaborative effort on the parts of businesses, along with more positive government action will help create “a harmony blend of supply and demand, turning our homes into active partners in a sustainable renewable future.”
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”