Climate Drought
All Stories
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![A group of construction workers stand in a trench at night.]()
![A group of construction workers stand in a trench at night.]()
As the Rio Grande runs dry, South Texas cities look to alternatives for water
Many of the solutions are costly, putting them out of reach for small towns. But the region's most populous cities are getting innovative.
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![The dry Rio Grande riverbed is seen from the air near Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2022.]()
![The dry Rio Grande riverbed is seen from the air near Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2022.]()
Albuquerque made itself drought-proof. Then its dam started leaking.
Cities across the West rely on fragile water sources — and aging infrastructure.
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![President-elect of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum stands at a podium during a press conference at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City on June 10, 2024.]()
![President-elect of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum stands at a podium during a press conference at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City on June 10, 2024.]()
Can Claudia Sheinbaum solve Mexico’s water crisis?
The country’s incoming president made water her “main concern” when she was mayor of Mexico City.
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![a grey sky backdrops rows of palm trees buffeted by wind while a car with headlights on drives by]()
![a grey sky backdrops rows of palm trees buffeted by wind while a car with headlights on drives by]()
Why this summer might bring the wildest weather yet
El Niño has been rough. Its departure could be even rougher.
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![A resident of the borough of Benito Juarez in Mexico City rests after receiving drinking water. Many residents of the city have been affected by the contamination of groundwater wells amid a severe drought.]()
![A resident of the borough of Benito Juarez in Mexico City rests after receiving drinking water. Many residents of the city have been affected by the contamination of groundwater wells amid a severe drought.]()
As reservoirs go dry, Mexico City and Bogotá are staring down ‘Day Zero’
Cape Town, which beat a water crisis in 2018, holds lessons for cities grappling with an El Niño-fueled drought.
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![A road stretches through the desert]()
![A road stretches through the desert]()
Tribes could lease their water to dry states. Why is it so hard?
The Colorado River Indian Tribes can now lease water to non-Indigenous users along the drought-stricken river. Most nations can’t do the same.
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![Steam rises above the cooling towers in The Dalles data center in Oregon. These plumes of water vapor create a quiet mist at dusk.]()
![Steam rises above the cooling towers in The Dalles data center in Oregon. These plumes of water vapor create a quiet mist at dusk.]()
The surging demand for data is guzzling Virginia’s water
The commonwealth is home to the data center capital of the world. Can it handle AI's thirst?
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![Water pours from the Dalles Dam on the Columbia River in Washington.]()
![Water pours from the Dalles Dam on the Columbia River in Washington.]()
Rivers are the West’s largest source of clean energy. What happens when drought strikes?
With rivers across the West running low, utilities must get creative if they are to meet demand without increasing emissions.
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![A collage of several photos of trees, with the center image of a tree highlighted with yellow rectangles on the crown, denoting rot or dying leaves]()
![A collage of several photos of trees, with the center image of a tree highlighted with yellow rectangles on the crown, denoting rot or dying leaves]()
As the climate changes, cities scramble to find trees that will survive
“Everybody is looking for the magic tree.”
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![A dry irrigation canal runs between almond orchards in Chowchilla, California. The state's landmark groundwater law will force farmers to fallow tens of thousands of acres.]()
![A dry irrigation canal runs between almond orchards in Chowchilla, California. The state's landmark groundwater law will force farmers to fallow tens of thousands of acres.]()
In a first, California cracks down on farms guzzling groundwater
Regulators just imposed unprecedented fees on water usage in the state's agricultural heartland.
