Rise In Weather Extremes Threatens Infrastructure

The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — From highways in Texas to nuclear power plants in Illinois, the concrete, steel and sophisticated engineering that undergird the nation’s infrastructure are being taxed to worrisome degrees by heat, drought and vicious storms.

Read the whole story at The New York Times

From our partners

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Comments

[eaarth2]

01:55 PM on 07/28/2012

Most roads- from high speed freeways, to secondary country roads are designed for a C02 content in the atmosphere for 300ppm- not 400ppm.

I may add that above ground power lines are also very vulnerable to extreme weather- and again are designed for extreme weather for high carbon content in the atmosphere at these levels- that are rising rapidly.

[StephenBP]

09:10 AM on 07/28/2012

Sooooo... Texas can't build any more coal or nuclear plants because they don't have enough cooling water?

How ironic.

[KarmaPatrol]

02:43 AM on 07/28/2012

Time to move up north. Had my fun in the sun.

[slowheat]

07:21 PM on 07/26/2012

New Mexico's entire economy is threatened by climate change.

"Tourism, the creative arts, agriculture, ranching, and the dairy industry all stand to lose millions of dollars..."

http://kunm.org/post/report-says-climate-change-will-slam-nm-s-economy

[hearken]

04:57 PM on 07/26/2012

Teapublicans don't need infrastructure...they don't need any of those things that keep the world moving, improving and generate living...they just need lies and more lies.

[no tea]

01:33 PM on 07/26/2012

I'd add "extreme neglect" to the "extreme weather" headline.

[PhilPredicta]

01:23 PM on 07/26/2012

Part 1 of 2:

I have no patience for the blind apologists for the status quo who insist that "all energy sources have their inherent dangers" as if a solar or wind farm ~~ or tidal-torque generators or sea-pressure resistors ~~ or hydro-electric facilities could irradiate entire HEMISPHERES if they malfunction.

Or if the waste left by a wind-turbine could cause cancer for eons.

Let the nay-sayers tout the fact that none of the safe, green, DOMESTIC energy sources available can be made viable in the same time it took the United States to rebuild it's PACIFIC FLEET after Pearl Harbor (1.5 years) or create an AIR FORCE from scratch (2.5 years) or send a man to the MOON (8.5 years).

The most pernicious problems which must be overcome are those untruths presented by those with agendas contrary to the common good.


“Drill, baby, drill”. 




“We will never be able to eliminate these things from our paradigm.”

Or the breathtakingly phony “righteous indignation” that “people will lose their jobs” (as if the right-wing has ever devoted a good goddamn towards the working classes in the past).


They have created and are committed to sustain a nation literally marinated in oil, choking on coal dust and glowing in the dark from nuclear waste and any progressive, forward-thinking attempts to extricate America from this addiction is summarily dropped as a matter of rote.

[PoloniumMan]

07:21 PM on 07/26/2012

Half of the world's solar PV is installed in Germany yet they get only 2% of their electricity from solar. This despite major government and public support. Diffuse and intermittent collection systems will not be enough to rising global demand for energy.

[Dallas Dunlap]

07:47 PM on 07/26/2012

polonium Man - germany gets 25% of its electricity from solar. try to keep up.

[lbsaltzman]

12:08 AM on 07/27/2012

Here are some accurate numbers: http://cleantechnica.com/2012/07/04/germany-sets-a-new-solar-power-record-14-7-twh-in-6-months/

We should be doing this.

"German solar power producers have once again set a new world record in solar energy production by pumping 14.7 TWh of electricity into the power grid during the first 6 months of 2012. That’s 4.5% of the total power production during that period. Considering that solar power isn’t baseload power, those TWh’s came in the form of valuable peak-load power covering 10-50% of peak demand every day.
This record also represents a 50% increase over solar power production during the same period in 2011, something that becomes shockingly obvious considering that photovoltaic power produced a total of 19 TWh’s during the 12 months of 2011."

[PhilPredicta]

01:18 PM on 07/26/2012

Part 2 of 2:


Every chance to improve the environment and improve and benefit The U.S. was thwarted by the those with a worldview which is anathema to any enlightened, civil society.


WE CAN DO THIS!

ALL it takes is the RESOLVE to do it, not to mention the HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of new, AMERICAN JOBS created.


WIND, SOLAR, TIDAL, GEOTHERMAL, HYDRO-ELECTRIC.

Step aside, if you're afraid to try, and let those of us who can HANDLE the TASK do the heavy lifting.


There ARE some of us who STILL BELIEVE in "Good Old American KNOWHOW".

[MrsHealthy]

05:41 PM on 07/27/2012

Amen! Keep up the good thoughts. We certainly can't give up even though the thumb of the greedy are on us.

[delia ruhe]

01:07 PM on 07/26/2012

Still no climate deniers waking up? How about when their private airstrips start buckling and they can't land their private jets?

[santiago sherwood]

06:47 AM on 07/27/2012

I am now in Bahrain, it gets to 52C the well are long since dried out. this place was once ush and green over a 1000 years ago, with the rapid extraction of oil and the massive population growth here you can see what happens when resources are over used. But what is worse the draught in the US is only part of the roblem, the monsoons in India are starting to fade too fast and that could result in massive starvation, Africa is having crop failure, and other parts of the world also. We have exceeding earths capacity for humans.

[PhilPredicta]

01:01 PM on 07/26/2012

The BANANA REPUBLICANS are sure making it come to pass that we are a 3rd world country.

[TokyoStormWarning]

08:59 AM on 07/28/2012

The "Banana Replublicans," I like it. Do you mind if I use that in future?

[freedom1947]

12:54 PM on 07/26/2012

I'm sure the PUBS will fight against fixing anything?

[liberalveteran]

12:11 PM on 07/26/2012

In my little corner of Connecticut, here is what I observe: Days of extreme heat with choking pollution. Increasingly frequent violent thunderstorms. Winters with absolutely no snow, followed by winters with enormous quantities of snow. Freak storms, like a snowstorm in October that knocked out electricity for more than a week. Weather forecasts that constantly warn of high winds, torrential rain, and large hail.
Sure we had thunderstorms in my youth, but most rain was moderate and cooling. Pretty much what you would expect in a temperate climate. All that appears to be changing fast.

But then all the Republicans say that climate change is a hoax. So what do I know?

[PoloniumMan]

07:26 PM on 07/26/2012

I've experienced all that weather in a single day in Colorado.

[bbrecht]

12:08 PM on 07/26/2012

A companion piece and must read for anyone curious about climate change:

"Global Warming's Terrifying New Math" by Bill Mckibben at Rolling Stone

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/global-warmings-terrifying-new-math-20120719

[TruthResearcher]

12:01 PM on 07/26/2012

Rebuilding infrastructure = Jobs. It's a win-win for our country.
President Obama has been campaigning for for exactly this.

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/02/13/423814/obama-jobs-budget/

FORWARD --> OBAMA 2012

[PhilPredicta]

01:01 PM on 07/26/2012

Which is why the republicans will never let it happen. They'd rather let the entire country go down the toilet than to give President Obama a chance.

[TruthResearcher]

01:07 PM on 07/26/2012

Too true and a damn shame. 

[no tea]

01:34 PM on 07/26/2012

The regressives in Congress are violating their oath of office.

[Patriot86]

12:01 PM on 07/26/2012

Since the GOP had made sure our infrastructure is third or even fourth rate...this is not surprising.