Extreme heat across the U.S. and Europe is threatening human health and, along with other geopolitical factors, straining electrical grids. Scorching heat in Western Europe, where air conditioning is scarce, is expected to rise as high as 113°F (45°C) in parts of France and Spain by the end of this week. “The current heatwave is a dangerous reminder of the accelerating impacts of global warming,” Michael Byrne, of the University of St Andrews, told the Guardian. In the U.S., methane-based gas prices jumped another 7% on Monday as air conditioners tried to keep pace with triple-digit temperatures.
In Texas, “extreme” and “dangerously hot” conditions, per the National Weather Service, forced the state’s grid operator to ask its customers to voluntarily reduce electricity consumption to maintain grid stability. The Texas grid has broken demand records multiple times this year already. Extreme heat and heatwaves are made worse and more frequent by climate change, mainly caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, and often limit wind power generation, which can exacerbate power crunches. Also Monday, the Houston Chronicle reported David Desar, CEO of Texas utility CenterPoint Energy — whose compensation more than tripled while Texans burned furniture for warmth and froze to death — was the highest paid executive among public companies in Houston. (European heat: The Guardian; Texas grid: Washington Post $, Houston Chronicle, The Hill, Bloomberg $; Gas prices: Reuters; Texas demand records: KXAN; Lesar: Houston Chronicle; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves)