Climate Change Impacts in Texas Integrated Analysis and Adaptation

Section I: Introduction

I.1 Why Texas?

Ryan A. McManamay

I.2 The Changing Climate of Texas

John W. Nielsen-Gammon

I.3 Alarming Sea Level Rise Along Texas Coast: Causes, Impacts, and Mitigation Strategies

Jiabi Du

I.4 Scorched Earth and Shifting Sands: Drought, Dust, and Wildfire in a Changing Landscape

Lili Yao, Mahesh Bade, Nilkamal Jaisawal, Nafi Ba, and Yang Li

I.5 Beyond the Banks: Urbanization, Infrastructure, and the Fight Against Flooding

Michelle Hummel

Section II: Impacts of Climate Change on Natural Ecosystems

II.1 Extending the Planetary Boundaries Framework to Texas: Are We Beyond the Safe Operating Space?

Ryan A. McManamay

II.2 Climate Change and the Living Planet: Impacts on the Biosphere and Consequences to Ecosystem Services

Jordan T. Jatko, Levi Sweet-Breu, and Ryan A. McManamay

II.3 Climate Change Impacts on Freshwaters: Recent Trends and Future Predictions for Biodiversity, Ecosystem Function, and Human Wellbeing

Matthew J. Troia

II.4 Texas Gulf Coast Ecosystems and Climate Change: Coral Reefs, Barrier Islands, Bays, and Blue Carbon

Susan Power Bratton

II.5 Climate Change Impacts on the Terrestrial Ecosystems of Texas

Joseph D. White

Section III: Impacts of Climate Change on Human-Environmental Systems

III.1 Impacts of a Warming and Drying Climate on Agriculture and Food Production

Kritika Kothari, Bhupinder Singh, Sayantan Samanta, and Srinivasulu Ale

III.2 Extreme Temperatures, Air Quality, and Public Health

Melissa R. Allen-Dumas and TC Chakraborty

III.3 Water Supply and Wastewater Infrastructure System Challenges Under Climate Uncertainty

Perpetua I. Okoye, Jordan T. Jatko, and Ryan A. McManamay

III.4 Impact of Climate Change on Texas Traffic: Opportunities to Leverage Crowdsourced Data to Understand Impacts on Traffic

Francisco Contreras and Cristina Torres-Machi

III.5 The Economic Impacts of Climate Change in Texas: A Regional Lesson with National Impact: Lessons for the U.S. Economy

Alla Semenova

Section IV: Adaptation and Mitigation: Considerations for Environmental Management

IV.1 Future Water Use in Texas

Stephen Ferencz

IV.2 Strategies for Land Management, Conservation, and Nature-Based Solution Support of Climate Action

Forrest Cobb, Alison Lund, Alejandra Rodriguez, and Roel Lopez

IV.3 The Great Texas Energy Experiment: The Uncertain Road to Electricity Decarbonization in the Lone Star State

Ryan A. McManamay

IV.4 Texan Energopolitics

Dominic Boyer

IV.5 Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change and Resource Use in the Texas Transportation Sector

Aparajita Datta and Ramanan Krishnamoorti

IV.6 Climate Adaptation from the Regional Planning Perspective: Climate from the Regional Planning Perspective: Notes on Institutional Reality, Anthropogenic Responses, Phronesis, and Incremental Pragmatism

Mukesh Kumar, Mark Keeley, and Ryan A. McManamay

IV.7 Texas Climate Policy Considerations 

Julie A. King

Section V: The Future of Texas in a Changing Climate

V.1 The Future of a Changing Climate in Texas

Mona Wells

Biography

Mona Wells is an interdisciplinary environmental scientist specialized in Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Risk Assessment, and Environmental Management. Her roles have included posts in different locales internationally as an academic and as an environmental practitioner, on projects spanning a broad portfolio including technical project work, research, commercialization, program development, policy advisement, science communication, public consultation, pedagogical development, and continuous improvement. She recently served as Director of Climate Science for one of the Meadows Foundation Research Institutes in Texas.

Ryan McManamay is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he teaches classes on energy and environment, water management, and ecology. His research explores past and future anthropogenic pressures, from land use change to infrastructure development, on ecosystems with the goal of balancing ecological and societal needs. Previously, he was a research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, (ORNL), serving in both administrative and technical leadership roles and working in numerous multi-institutional research projects across several Department of Energy (DOE) programs. His research has influenced natural resource management along several dimensions, including informing environmental flow management for several state and federal agencies, decision-support and training for hydropower mitigation and basin planning, and long-term integrative planning for renewable energy and urban infrastructure. He has held several editorial roles, currently serving as Associate Editor of Earth’s Future (American Geophysical Union). He has published over 100 journal articles and book chapters, in addition to dozens of technical reports and proceedings, and mentored over 65 students, postdocs, and staff in research projects.