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By Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Writer The West is currently in the middle of a severe drought, and Lake Powell, the region’s second-largest reservoir, is at its lowest level in decades. The lake, located on the Colorado River, is effectively a human-made storage basin that keeps the regional water supply in balance under the 100-year-old […]
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by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer Ongoing heatwaves and mega-drought across the Western U.S. threatened residents with rolling blackouts and even buckling roads. Now, rapidly rising temperatures are taking their toll on renewable energy infrastructure as well. After suffering some of the lowest rainfall rates in 126 years, Northern California’s Edward Hyatt hydroelectric power plant is predicted to shut down for […]
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by Ashira Morris, ODP Staff Nevada’s Congressional delegation wants Las Vegas to be able to expand beyond its boundaries, currently constrained by federally managed land. Their proposal: to give up 48 square miles of currently protected land for development in exchange for an area the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined additional protections. Proponents […]
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The nation’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, created by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, has reached record lows (at only 36% full) in the face of a severe drought sweeping the western U.S. The reservoir supplies drinking water for 25 million people in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, and more.
Why This Matters: Drought is becoming a permanent fixture across the west, and dry conditions are moving further east each year.
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This year’s historic drought has intensified a century-old dispute over water in the Klamath Lake region on the Oregon-California border. One hundred years ago, the federal government drained lakes and re-routed rivers to make farming easier, but this year’s drought has sent the region into crisis.
Why this Matters: This drought may be the worst in a century — but the trend is likely to only get worse due to climat
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Record hot temperatures are wreaking havoc in northern Europe as wildfires spark in Siberia. Some experts say that this early fire season is the continuance of the 2020 season and that some “zombie fires” were never truly put out. Last week, 1.7 million Siberian residents were put under severe “black sky” air quality warnings due to smoke from nearby wildfires.
Why This Matters: The Arctic is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the world.
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