west
Newsletter
A new era of growth in the dry West faces water woes
As Western states juggle expansion and water scarcity, communities from Las Vegas to Phoenix are hitting the brakes on development.
In short:
- Recent legal and executive actions across Western states are limiting new construction due to the scarcity of water resources, underscoring the clash between booming populations and dwindling water supplies.
- The Nevada Supreme Court ruled against a large development outside Las Vegas, highlighting the challenges of balancing growth with environmental sustainability and water rights.
- Efforts to reduce water consumption in places like southern Nevada, through more efficient homes and restrictions on water use, point towards possible solutions amidst growing concerns.
Key quote:
"The era of limits is upon us."
— Kathy Jacobs, director of the Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions at the University of Arizona
Why this matters:
Communities across states like California, Arizona, and Nevada are grappling with the reality that water, once considered an abundant resource, is now a critically limited one. In 2022, Arizona experienced the worst drought conditions in more than 1,000 years, which dried up reservoirs, exposed regulatory loopholes and further exposed environmental injustice.
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Millions in US under warnings as record heat expected to continue next week
More than 100 million people, around a third of Americans, were under extreme heat advisories this weekend, with officials warning conditions could get worse in Arizona, California and Nevada and that record-breaking heat was expected to continue into the new week.
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Image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay
US faces deadly floods in north-east and longer heatwaves in south and west
Flash flood warnings were still in place in parts of Vermont on Tuesday morning, as the state capital Montpelier’s downtown was under water and officials fear a local dam could fail for the first time since it was built, threatening further inundation.
Newsletter
Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash
Wildlife winners and losers from the West’s snowy winter
As plants and animals face climate-induced weather extremes across the globe, researchers say there’s a key thing we can do to help beyond the work of rapidly limiting the burning of greenhouse gasses: protect and restore habitat.
Newsletter
Photo by Caleb Jack on Unsplash
Climate change wiped out thousands of the West’s most iconic cactus
Heat, drought and an invasive grass are driving wildfires killing the giant saguaros in Arizona, raising concerns about how the cactus will recover without human intervention.
Why energy bills skyrocketed in the U.S. West
Governors and lawmakers railed recently against high winter heating and electric utility bills. Now, market forces are shifting.
Billion dollar climate change disasters growing in Colorado, West
Record drought in the American West contributes to a growing number of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters across the country, and the quickening pace of large-scale events makes recovery slower and pricier, according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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