The US west has lost nearly 300 glaciers since the 1960s. Climate crisis is drastically shrinking what’s left

Glaciers are important components of alpine ecosystems and provide some water for agriculture and hydroelectric power in the US west, even if they are remote from where most people live. Still, their retreat has been fast enough to cause a sense of angst among locals, according to Fountain. 

 “People like knowing glaciers are around, they are close to their hearts and it’s worrying to see the mountains look bare,” he said. “The loss of glaciers is also tangible evidence of a shrinking snowpack, where a lot of drinking water is sourced from, so that is a concern when it comes to drought too.”…

 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2026/oct/23/glacier-loss-climate-crisis-west

 

Severe flooding in US west triggers rooftop rescues and evacuation orders

At least one injured after flooding in Four Corners region – which includes Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/23/severe-flooding-west-triggers-rescues-evacuations

 

‘For Panama, it is life or death’: how drought is choking the canal that feeds a nation

Failed rains and a dire El Niño threaten the waterway that sustains the country, with farmers selling cattle to survive…

 https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/oct/20/panama-canal-environment-water-drought-el-nino-farming

 

Worsening El Nino threatens Asia with severe drought, potentially threatening global food security | PBS News

BANTEN, Indonesia (AP) — All signs are pointing toward a record-breaking El Nino this year, which experts say may cause severe drought in Asia and other extreme weather across the world, threatening food security for millions of people…

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/worsening-el-nino-threatens-asia-with-severe-drought-potentially-threatening-global-food-security 

 

‘Supersizing before our eyes’: UN warns of record El Niño approaching

Event is likely to be largest in at least 1,000 years and will pile extra heat into a world already in a climate crisis…

 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/03/el-nino-supersizing-before-our-eyes-united-nations

 

How intense rains in the Grand Canyon turned into a deadly disaster

A deadly flash flood in the Grand Canyon over the weekend was likely driven by a confluence of climate factors, including drought, wildfire scarring and warming temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that can supercharge storms...

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/aug/31/grand-canyon-flash-flood-causes 

 

Destroyed crops, riverbed cyclists and a ‘Rock of Starvation’: how drought has devastated the Danube

The Guardian travelled 100 miles along the EU’s longest river, where some residents are struggling to secure drinking water…

https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/aug/16/danube-drought-destroyed-crops-rock-of-starvation-climate-crisis

 

Romania begins shutdown of nuclear plant's 2nd reactor amid low water levels on Danube River | PBS News

Scorching heat and low rainfall in recent weeks have left the Danube River at record lows and forced the state-owned Cernavoda plant to shut down its first reactor in late July. The plant accounts for about 20% of the country's electricity generation when fully operational and uses river water to cool its two reactors…

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/romania-begins-shutdown-of-nuclear-plants-2nd-reactor-amid-low-water-levels-on-danube-river 

 

Lake Mead plummets to historic low water level as Colorado River struggles

Levels at reservoir along Arizona-Nevada border dipped below previous record set in 2022, amid water crisis in west…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/09/lake-mead-record-low-water-level-colorado-river

 

‘Unprecedented, dangerous territory’: US north-west reckons with a summer of historic wildfires

Extreme conditions in Washington and Oregon have fueled fast-moving fires, leaving the region draped in toxic plumes – and the danger isn’t over…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/10/us-wildfires-pacific-north-west

 

The Danube River's water is dropping so low that World War II ships are emerging | PBS News

Now, however, authorities are trying to keep traffic flowing on the Danube, which flows through 10 nations, as the dropping water levels create dangerous conditions. Experts have linked the unusually hot weather to global warming and other factors. 

Krsta Brandic, a Prahovo resident, said the low water levels have almost stopped ship traffic: "As you can see, the (big) ships can't pass anymore."…

 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/the-danube-rivers-water-is-dropping-so-low-that-world-war-ii-ships-are-emerging

El Niño could push 50m people into acute hunger before end of next year

UN forecasters warn of worsening conditions in 45 countries currently experiencing severe food insecurity…

 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/05/el-nino-could-push-50m-people-acute-hunger-next-year

Crews building Trump border wall in drought-hit New Mexico ordered to stop drilling wells

Construction crews building a border wall in New Mexico were ordered to stop drilling new wells after ranchers said that pumping groundwater to produce concrete could threaten their livestock amid a severe drought...

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/03/trump-border-wall-new-mexico-wells

Britain could face food shortages as drought continues, farmers warn

Farmers battle to salvage what they can of their crops as heatwave set to continue…

 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/02/britain-food-shortages-drought-continues-farmers 

‘It’s too fast, too big’: speed of climate crisis is devastating crops, say farmers

Drought and extreme heat are killing plants, driving up prices while also making some farms economically unviable…

 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/31/speed-of-climate-crisis-devastating-crops-say-farmers

 

Volunteers save fish from French rivers drying up in heatwaves

The Dive River, at Rom in the western Deux-Sèvres department, is dry, and all that is left of the Mignon further north is a dusty bed. Normally at this time of year, water levels would be between 40cm and 70cm...

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/25/france-rivers-heatwaves-water-levels-drop

 

Lake Powell, a vital reservoir, plunges toward unprecedented low levels as water crisis deepens in US west

Experts say the critical reservoir system is careening toward a breaking point as the US west’s climate warms and dries…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/07/lake-powell-water-crisis 

 

 

Military strikes on water facilities in Iran may constitute a war crime, experts say

Strikes on Bemani damaged key water reservoir for 20,000 people living in area amid a historic drought in the country…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/11/strikes-water-facilities-iran-war-crime-experts

 

El Niño to bring more heat and disasters in coming months, UN warns – POLITICO

El Niño’s return heralds a temporary upsurge in global temperatures on top of the warming effect of human-caused climate change. The event also disrupts rainfall patterns around the world, usually producing intense downpours and floods in some regions while bringing drought to others…

 https://www.politico.eu/article/el-nino-heat-disasters-un/

Why the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low — and what it means for beef prices : NPR

A number of factors have been pushing livestock numbers down, including rising costs, drought, international competition and increased consolidation in the cattle industry. Now, there are fewer American farmers and ranchers than there were even a few years ago, according to Bill Bullard, CEO of the cattle and sheep producers group R-CALF USA. "We have likewise lost the cows that they once maintained," he said. "So we have seen our herd shrink at an alarming rate for the past several decades."…

 https://www.npr.org/2026/05/29/nx-s1-5719511/beef-cattle-herd-food-prices