Climate Change Is Making Travel That Much Harder
In June, Amtrak’s Albany, N.Y, to Montreal train route was cancelled due to excessive heat. Service was suspended because a 47-mile stretch of the trip took four hours after the train was forced to slow to 10 miles per hour. The speed restriction was imposed because temperatures above 86°F (30°C) can make the rails misalign and cause derailment. In July, rail service between Albany and New York City was suspended after heavy rains completely washed out the tracks near the city of Poughkeepsie.
The design of most of our transportation infrastructure was based on the climate of the mid-20th century. As climate change continues to warm the planet and make weather more extreme, much of that infrastructure will become less safe and reliable.
Some of today’s popular tourist destinations may become intolerable as heat waves make some places unbearable and increase the chance of forest fires. Some may disappear altogether as rising seas flood low-lying islands and coastal areas. Warming oceans have already resulted in bleached coral reefs. Shorter winters and less snow are cutting ski seasons. And extreme weather can damage a locale’s transportation and water supply infrastructure.
Air travel
Climate change has the potential to disrupt air travel in a variety of ways. For one, high temperatures may hinder airplane takeoffs or even prevent them.
Higher temperatures make air less dense, so planes need to generate more lift by going faster to take off. In some cases, they might not have enough runway to achieve the necessary speed. Or they may be forced to reduce the weight they are carrying. Moreover, temperatures of 100 degrees F or more can cause tarmac to soften, causing aircraft wheels to get stuck. And because tarmac can turn into a heat island, high temperatures may also limit how long ground crews can work outside. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, 50 flights were grounded in Arizona in 2017 due to extreme heat. Without improvements to infrastructure, such as lengthening runways, this could mean 200 to 900 flights grounded by 2030, and 500 to 2,200 by 2050.
Once airborne, flights are already encountering more severe turbulence. Climate change is increasing changes in wind speed and direction above 15,000 feet in jet streams, the belts of wind that circle the planet. These changes are called wind shear; they result in sudden speed and altitude changes—in other words, turbulence. Since 1979, wind shear in the jet stream has increased by 15 percent. Turbulence is occurring even when there are few clouds and no bad weather. This so-called clear-air turbulence is not detectable by onboard weather radar or the naked eye, so it is unpredictable.
