SYNAPSE ESSAY CONTEST WINNING ESSAY: This article was written by Victor Gonzalez of Clear Creek High School, Texas, the winner of an annual national high school essay contest.
Art by Madeleine Popofsky
In Houston, climate change is not merely a global issue; it is a personal threat that brings devastating floods. Rising temperatures intensify rainfall, causing excessive rain, hurricane storm surges, and overwhelming floods. These events disrupt lives, damage infrastructure, hinder economic growth, and cause financial hardships. They are all part of one of the city’s heaviest challenges, flooding, which continues to grow with every passing year. To protect Houston’s future, the call for inventive, sustainable strategies is necessary across all communities.
Houston’s low topography and proximity to the Gulf Coast already make the city prone to extreme weather, but climate change intensifies the weather into a recurring threat. The change in global climate patterns is fueled by global greenhouse emissions, some of which originate from Houston’s own industrial activities.
A study published in Anthropocene, a journal that explores how people interact with nature and Earth’s systems, found that under a high-emissions scenario, the annual probability of receiving over five hundred millimeters of rainfall, about nineteen inches, could increase twenty-fold from 0.05 percent in the late twentieth century to one percent by 2100. This increase represents more than numbers on a spreadsheet; it translates to potential loss of life and devastating harm to the city.
Hurricane Harvey—one of the nation’s most destructive hurricanes on record—brought widespread destruction to Houston in 2017, with over sixty deaths and 125 billion dollars in damage. The storm left numerous families displaced and communities shattered.
Kevin Smiley, assistant professor of Louisiana State University’s Department of Sociology and lead author of a 2022 study about climate change–attributed impacts of Hurricane Harvey, demonstrated through hydrological flood models that fifty percent of flooded properties would not have been affected had the effects of climate change been absent. In Harris County, this statistic translates to approximately fifty thousand houses—potentially billions saved and a considerable reduction in the number of lives lost. The county’s sizable Latinx population illustrates the inequitable nature of such impacts and underscores the need for resilience efforts that prioritize safety in vulnerable communities.
Since 2017, Houston has implemented multiple flood mitigation projects in an effort to reduce risk and protect vulnerable communities.
A notable project is the North Canal Project, designed to amplify water conveyance and minimize flood water elevation during major storm events. Located at the critical point where three interconnected waterways meet flowing toward Galveston Bay, the project will begin construction in 2026. The city of Houston estimates that it will reduce the risk of flooding for hundreds of homes in the downtown area. As part of a growing system of green solutions, the North Canal Project is a key step towards Houston’s long-term safety planning—acknowledging the intensity of flood events and the necessity of comprehensive water management strategies.
Another solution that will take effect is the Inwood Forest Stormwater Detention Basin, designed to hold stormwater runoff until heavy rain has passed. The detention basin will hold 1,200 acre-feet of water, approximately 391 million gallons. Houston flood experts expect the Inwood Forest Stormwater Detention Basin to protect over 4,400 structures in the White Oak Bayou and Vogel Creek watersheds. Rather than diverting waterways, like the North Canal Project, the project will allow for storage and controlled release into larger bodies of water.
While Houston’s ongoing projects focus on eliminating the risk of flooding, it turns out that there might be additional ways to leverage stormwater for sustainability and resistance efforts. A study by the Department of Environmental Research in South Korea, where flooding is a persistent problem, suggests stormwater harvesting as a highly effective solution to maintain flood elevation and risk factors. Paired with regional planning, this filtration strategy has the potential to reduce risks and strengthen local endurance to climate change. These actions could also benefit the local economy through aquifer recharge and agricultural irrigation, along with alleviating other systems across the Houston area.
Climate change remains a global crisis, but for Houston, it is measured in flooded homes, damaged lives, and considerable economic impact. As climate change continues to intensify rainfall patterns, Houston must continue adapting its infrastructure to conquer the dynamic nature of these challenges. Through large-scale innovation and fighting against the flood, Houston should not just endure—it must evolve.