Jun 30 Biden raising federal pay to fight wildfires By Aamer Madhani, Matthew Daly, Associated Press The Biden administration says it is hiring more federal firefighters — and immediately raising their pay — as officials ramp up response efforts in the face of a severe drought that's setting the stage for another destructive summer of intense… Continue reading
Jun 23 Watch 7:32 A leaked UN report warns ‘worst is yet to come’ on climate change. Here’s how you can help By William Brangham, Murrey Jacobson A leaked draft report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change paints the starkest picture yet of the accelerating danger caused by human use of coal, oil, and gas. It warns of coming unlivable heat waves, widespread hunger… Continue watching
Jun 07 Drought-stricken Nevada enacts ban on ‘non-functional’ grass By Sam Metz, Associated Press The measure signed Friday will ban water users in southern Nevada from planting decorative grass so they conserve water. The grass ban starting in 2027 applies to office parks, entrances to housing developments and street medians. Continue reading
May 28 Watch 5:26 2021 could be one of the driest years in a millennium, and there’s no relief in sight By William Brangham, Courtney Norris Nearly half of the country — from the Pacific coast to the Great Plains and upper Midwest — is experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions. That's expected to get worse throughout the summer. As William Brangham reports, it's the western… Continue watching
May 27 ‘Nothing looks good’ preparing for summer wildfire season By Andrew Selsky, Associated Press "I'm seeing probably the worst combination of conditions in my lifetime," said Derrick DeGroot, a county commissioner in southern Oregon's Klamath County. "We have an enormous fuel load in the forests, and we are looking at a drought unlike we've… Continue reading
May 25 Watch 4:51 News Wrap: Moderna says its vaccine effective in children ages 12 to 17 In our news wrap Tuesday, Moderna announced its COVID-19 vaccine strongly protects children as young as 12, and plans to seek emergency FDA approval. Airlines began avoiding Belarus after a plane was forced down on Sunday, and a dissident journalist… Continue watching
May 17 Early signs signal a disastrous wildfire season in the West By Mojtaba Sadegh, Amir AghaKouchak, John Abatzoglou, The Conversation Drought conditions are so bad, fish hatcheries are trucking their salmon to the ocean and ranchers are worried about having enough water for their livestock. Continue reading
May 14 Water crisis deepens on California-Oregon line By Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press A severe drought is creating a water crisis not seen in more than a century for farmers and federally protected fish along the Oregon-California border. Continue reading
May 10 California expands drought emergency to large swath of state By Don Thompson, Associated Press California Gov. Gavin Newsom has expanded a drought emergency declaration to a large swath of the nation's most populated state amid "acute water supply shortages" in northern and central areas. Continue reading
Mar 18 Forecast shows nasty drought worsens for much of U.S. By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press Thursday's spring outlook is bad news for the West, which has been under a megadrought for more than 20 years. Continue reading