Across Houston, the frustration is palpable. It’s made the national headlines. Days after Hurricane Beryl tore through the area, more than a million customers still remained without power. Struggling with no electricity amid sweltering heat can be dangerous.
And Beryl was just a Category 1 at landfall. Imagine if it had been worse.
Hard-working teams are working around the clock to get power lines back up and running. But there aren’t enough people. As I discussed last week, extreme weather is a workforce problem.
Houston will snap back from this.
We always do. But we’ll also go through it again. After all, it’s only been weeks since the derecho knocked out power here. Communities everywhere are grappling with similar problems. It’s up to us here in Houston, the “energy capital of the world,” to lead the way in fixing it.
For that to happen, we need to work together. There should be no more battles among groups that ultimately share the common goal of providing power to fuel the world while also addressing climate change. It’s time for unity.
That's why I invite -- and encourage -- you to sign The Unity Commitment. A key part of the lead-up to Houston Energy & Climate Week September 9-13, it’s an opportunity for everyone across the entire energy sector to show that we share a common purpose. Unity breeds resilience. Lots of research explores this. One study focused on rural areas found that.:
“Group solidarity enabled individuals to more effectively draw on their diverse knowledges, skills, and resources to sustain their communities.”
The people we should be listening to now are those committed to this message—those lifting other voices up, not those seeking to exclude. The energy leaders demonstrating the most grit are those willing to turn against negativity, invite others in, and find common ground. (Speaking of which, the deadline to nominate energy leaders for our GRIT Awards has been extended—but only briefly. So get those nominations and applications in fast!)
The race to net zero is a marathon. Let’s come together -- across Houston, across the country, and across the world -- to run it together.
