A thread on the recent extreme weather and power outages. @SierraClub at this time is most concerned about the safety of our colleagues, friends, and families as harsh weather continues to hit the central and southern US, bringing blackouts throughout countless communities. 1/6

While this episode of extreme weather gripping communities may pass quickly, the overall problem won’t. We need change. 2/6

Large swaths of gas and coal power plants were not able to operate during this extreme weather. And while some renewables were also forced offline, clean energy was more reliable than fossil fuels during this crisis. 3/6 https://twitter.com/JesseJenkins/status/1361691683222654980

Fossil fuels have once again failed us and our energy grid continues to fail the marginalized as the effects of climate change continue to accelerate. 4/6 https://twitter.com/UNFCCC/status/1361355803949756416

These events underscore the urgent need for a 21st-century power grid of clean, reliable energy that doesn’t make us sick or worsen the climate crisis, and can withstand the increasingly extreme weather that climate change continues to deliver. 5/6 https://twitter.com/KHayhoe/status/1360321695060553730

This @bradplumer piece sums it up well. As @JesseJenkins puts it, "What makes this problem even harder is that we’re now in a world where...the past is no longer a good guide to the future. We have to get much better at preparing for the unexpected.” 6/6 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/16/climate/texas-power-grid-failures.html