Drought is upon the American West โ€” with major implications for human health, biodiversity, agriculture, food security, supply chains, cities, land use, and the most very basic of human rights.

This is a story now only worsened by a climate emergency, which has brought higher temperatures, more extreme conditions, and heightened risks.

Fires, droughts, power outages, competition over water, and ecosystem collapse all result. Western droughts are becoming longer, more intense, and more frequent.

But as water scarcity sweeps the West, many see this as the imperative moment for rapid innovation in agriculture, technology, nature-based systems, and policy to manage dwindling supplies.


Thirsty sprawl confronts water scarcity in arizona


The Biggest Dry: Arizona

Unsafe Yield

Severe drought, dead wells, political division push Arizona steadily closer to water supply peril.

The colorado river

As a Colorado Aquifer Runs Low, Dangerous Heavy Metals Threaten Rural Communitiesโ€™ Drinking Water

In the San Luis Valley, the ongoing megadrought and a record-low snowpack are draining groundwater and increasing its concentrations of toxic metals. There are few protections for residents drinking from private wells.

By Emily Payne, Inside Climate News This article originally appeared onย Inside Climate Newsย (hyperlink to the original story), a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and theโ€ฆ





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