Climate Drought
All Stories
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![Alfalfa fields at the Fondomonte farm in Butler Valley, Arizona.]()
![Alfalfa fields at the Fondomonte farm in Butler Valley, Arizona.]()
Arizona is evicting a Saudi alfalfa farm, but the thirsty crop isn’t going anywhere
The state’s decision will do little to solve a water shortage largely driven by irrigated agriculture.
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Louisiana’s saltwater wedge is a slow-motion disaster
Drought on the Mississippi River is pulling salt water toward New Orleans, threatening drinking water supplies.
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Environmentalists sue Utah for failing to protect the shrinking Great Salt Lake
Researchers warn that the lake may disappear in five years if water loss continues at current rates.
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![wildfire in Louisiana]()
![wildfire in Louisiana]()
Even the bayous of Louisiana are now threatened by wildfires
In just one month, 7 times more acres burned than in an average year.
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![A voluntarily fallowed field stands next to an active wheat field at the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation along the Colorado River near the California-Arizona border.]()
![A voluntarily fallowed field stands next to an active wheat field at the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation along the Colorado River near the California-Arizona border.]()
Feds ease up on Colorado River restrictions — for now
This year’s wet winter helped save the river from collapse. But a reckoning is on the horizon.
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![A view of a green slop and snow-crested mountains.]()
![A view of a green slop and snow-crested mountains.]()
The case of the Colorado River’s missing water
Researchers are trying to unravel the mystery of snow that falls but never shows up in the river.
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![A brick wall graffitied with the phrase]()
![A brick wall graffitied with the phrase]()
In Arizona water ruling, the Hopi tribe sees limits on its future
Arizona's unique method for awarding water to tribes was supposed to open up economic possibilities beyond farming for the Hopi Tribe. Instead, the tribe says it has dashed their dreams of building a thriving homeland.
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![A man in black sunglasses and a blue button-down shirt points while standing next ot a canal.]()
![A man in black sunglasses and a blue button-down shirt points while standing next ot a canal.]()
Meet the Colorado River’s newest – and youngest – power player
Appointed as California's top water negotiator, 27-year-old JB Hamby also serves on the board of directors for California's Imperial Irrigation District.
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![Lake Shasta, California's largest dam and water reservoir feeding the Sacramento River, sits at historically low levels in July 2015.]()
![Lake Shasta, California's largest dam and water reservoir feeding the Sacramento River, sits at historically low levels in July 2015.]()
How the Western drought has increased carbon emissions
Hydropower loss added 121 million metric tons of carbon emissions over 20 years — about the same as putting 1.3 million more cars on the road.
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![A red tractor bulldozes through a field of corn.]()
![A red tractor bulldozes through a field of corn.]()
Drought hits the Midwest, threatening crops and the world’s food supply
America's Breadbasket hasn’t had enough rain to sustain crop growth, including food, animal feed, and ethanol production.
