--- title: Climate Change Could Hurt Power Production description: Heat waves and drought caused by climate change could hurt power production across the world canonical: https://time.com/4167370/climate-change-power-production/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-05T13:25:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T13:46:38.657Z article:section: Science og:title: Climate Change Could Hurt Power Production og:description: Heat waves and drought caused by climate change could hurt power production across the world og:url: https://time.com/4167370/climate-change-power-production/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt52c44c0cf3d16fdf/69887789196cf4b4ac039af3/water-climate-change-power-production.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: water climate change power production og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Climate Change Could Hurt Power Production twitter:description: Heat waves and drought caused by climate change could hurt power production across the world twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt52c44c0cf3d16fdf/69887789196cf4b4ac039af3/water-climate-change-power-production.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Climate Change Could Hurt Power Production > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=3aee1eb9-41f5-43db-80d4-846d1c52e4c0&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 5, 2016 1:25 PM UTC  The Manakanskaya hydroelectric power station, operated by Polyus Gold International Ltd., Russia's largest gold producer, sits on the Mamakan river near Bodaybo, Russia, on Sept. 22, 2015. The Manakanskaya hydroelectric power station, operated by Polyus Gold International Ltd., Russia's largest gold producer, sits on the Mamakan river near Bodaybo, Russia, on Sept. 22, 2015. Andrey Rudakov—Bloomberg Finance LP  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 5, 2016 1:25 PM UTC Heat waves and drought caused by climate change could hurt power production across the world, according to new research. The [study](http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate2903.html), published in the journal _Nature Climate Change,_ shows that weather patterns that lead to higher temperatures could reduce the availability of water that plays an essential role in hydropower and thermoelectric plants. Together, hydropower and thermoelectric plants currently generate 98% of the world’s power. Climate change could affect production at the majority of these plants. “Power plants are not only causing climate change, but they might also be affected in major ways by climate,” Keywan Riahi, Director of the Energy Program at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), [told Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/climatechange-electricity-idUSL8N14O2OV20160104). Hydropower plants capture the energy from the natural flow of water while thermoelectric plants like fossil fuel power sources use water cooling purposes. Both occupy central roles in the global energy mix. The study’s researchers suggest an increased focus on how to adapt to climate change. 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