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    Arizona Restricts Home Construction in Phoenix Area Amid Lack of Groundwater

    Arizona Restricts Home Construction in Phoenix Area Amid Lack of Groundwater

    Pressures on water supply around Arizona, along with an ongoing megadrought made worse by climate change, have been addressed by recent limits placed on the construction of new homes around Phoenix. The restrictions are meant to limit projects that would rely on groundwater, as the groundwater supply is already needed by existing properties. Most of […]

    West Coast Sees ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Winter Storms

    West Coast Sees ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Winter Storms

    The usually mild West Coast is seeing an unusually snowy winter, with flakes falling from Portland, Oregon to Phoenix.  In California, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for 13 counties Wednesday as back-to-back storms have buried mountain communities.  “This rain and snow bucked the trend and it’s highly unexpected,” meteorologist and former National […]

    Western Wildfires Destroyed 246% More Homes and Buildings Over the Past Decade – Fire Scientists Explain What’s Changing

    Western Wildfires Destroyed 246% More Homes and Buildings Over the Past Decade – Fire Scientists Explain What’s Changing

    It can be tempting to think that the recent wildfire disasters in communities across the West were unlucky, one-off events, but evidence is accumulating that points to a trend.

    In a new study, we found a 246% increase in the number of homes and structures destroyed by wildfires in the contiguous Western U.S. between the past two decades, 1999-2009 and 2010-2020.

    Can the Colorado River Sustain More Population Growth?

    Can the Colorado River Sustain More Population Growth?

    News reports about the Colorado River over the last few months have been intense and depressing. The first ever “cuts” in water deliveries out of the river to Arizona and Nevada took hold last week, with more cuts likely coming to more states. The ongoing 20-year drought, with the likelihood that climate change is the […]

    Arizona to Use People in Prison to Fight Its Wildfires, Pay $1.50 an Hour

    Arizona to Use People in Prison to Fight Its Wildfires, Pay $1.50 an Hour

    As extreme heat, drought, and wildfires spread across the state, Arizona is allocating funding to pay incarcerated people fighting those wildfires $1.50 per hour. Incarcerated people clearing brush, in temperatures that hit 115°F in Phoenix for six days in a row last week, will make $1.00 per hour. The Thirteenth Amendment of the United States […]

    Tucson-Based Programs Help Residents Harvest Rainwater

    Tucson-Based Programs Help Residents Harvest Rainwater

    By Molly Matthews Multedo Not much rain falls in the desert city of Tucson, Arizona. And as the climate warms, it’s getting even drier. So when it does rain, it pays — literally — to make the most of it. Imelda Cortez visits families, bringing materials to test their water. She works with an initiative […]