There was a time when the sudden arrival of quarter-sized hail might have taken some Texans by surprise, but when inclement weather forced the cancellation of the Baylor Bears’ baseball game against Dallas Baptist University on April 9, 2024, many fans were more annoyed than shocked—least of all Dan Peppe.
“There are two things that are really noticeable, and I think are real trends,” he says. “The first is that, overall, it’s just warmer. The other thing is these extreme weather events.”
Peppe grew up in Connecticut before earning his Ph.D. studying ancient climate change patterns at Yale, then moved to Waco to teach at Baylor in 2009. Since then, the department of geosciences associate professor has taught both undergraduate- and graduate-level courses ranging from introductory geology to earth systems sciences, to the relationships between climate, animals, and plant life. But one constant over the years has been the steady rise in severe weather issues in Waco.
“I think those kinds of extreme weather events are becoming more and more common… those are all things that we predicted as a result of climate change,” Peppe says, pointing to the past spring’s multiple massive storms that produced major flooding—and baseball game-canceling hail. And then, of course, there’s the heat.
The data leaves no doubt—it’s warmer than it’s ever been across Texas. And considering how Texas Monthly described the Lone Star State as “absolutely the hottest and most insufferable state” all the way back in 1975, that’s certainly saying something. Heat waves have matched or broken at least 1,600 records near all 22 weather stations across Texas since 2013. Meanwhile, the state’s overall average temperatures have risen as much as five degrees Fahrenheit over the last century. That might not seem like much on its own, but increased heat inevitably creates compounding effects across ecosystems and weather patterns.
As once exceptions to the rule become the norm, Peppe stresses it’s important for Wacoans to know the difference between “weather” and “climate.” While the terms are often conflated, he makes sure students in all his classes understand the terms.
“Weather is the stuff we experience all the time instantly. It changes minute-by-minute, day-by-day,” he explains. “Climate is when we build together years, decades, centuries—and in my case—millennia.”
As severe weather events add up, the resultant climate patterns help shift public perceptions of climate change. With ice storms forcing Baylor classes online for days and flooding cutting off the main access road to elementary schools, more Texans than ever now understand the reality of the situation at hand.
“I think we’re seeing more people starting to actually be able to connect what we’re experiencing to this climate change pattern,” Peppe says. “When you talk to people that have lived in Waco their whole lives, they say, ‘Hey, you know, the summers are hotter. The winters are warmer.’ People have started to really recognize those broad patterns.”
Peppe says certain situations offer clearer indications than others. He points to Lake Waco, which Texas legally mandates must maintain a minimum water level at all times. But as a catchment lake for the Brazos River Authority, it also receives much of the extra water that comes from heavy rainfalls.
“What we’ve seen this year in a really extreme way… the lake fills up and we get flooding,” Peppe continues.
The numbers support Peppe’s observations. A recent survey indicated over 81 percent of people in the state now acknowledge climate change’s ongoing ramifications, and believe more needs to be done to address the issue. Of course, that has often proven easier said than done at national and international levels.
“When we talk about predictions for future climate change, it can be really depressing,” Peppe readily admits.
By now, everyone is at least relatively familiar with the basic ways to live more sustainably as individuals—setting air-conditioning a little higher in the summer and lower the winter, commuting to work with friends, conserving water. Education and advocacy are also vital components of addressing climate issues, as are staying informed about what lies ahead—even something as simple as subscribing to weather notifications, such as the Baylor Alert system, can help people prepare for the future.
But a common misconception is that these responsibilities mostly fall on everyday individuals like Baylor faculty, students, and alumni. Between 2016 and 2022, for example, just 57 companies generated 80 percent of the entire planet’s harmful CO2 emissions. From 1988 to 2015, 71 percent of all greenhouse gasses came from only 100 companies. The majority of reforms are incumbent on corporations, not local communities. But as Peppe reminds, these communities can possess immense power.
“What is needed more than ever is for people to work together to make their concerns known to their local governments,” he says. “We can talk to our city council members about these things we see as a community, and we recognize that this is important.”
Peppe says one of his favorite aspects of teaching at Baylor is the opportunity to educate students across virtually every major, particularly during the prerequisite introductory courses. And the diverse talents and specialties at Baylor are an asset for tackling climate change.
“The solutions to an energy transition involve everyone,” he says. “It involves people at the business level, the public policy level, and elsewhere. It’s a humanity-wide question and we can all address it and tackle it in different ways to help answer the problem. [Baylor] can use our expertise to help empower ourselves and empower our communities to find solutions to help.”
The world needs multifaceted, collaborative solutions from people working within every discipline offered at Baylor—because it’s not just Wacoans and Baylor Bears encountering these dramatic, extreme weather events amid a changing climate.
“I think Waco is probably representative of what a lot of places are experiencing,” says Peppe. “I think that’s the reality.”
