This recent article from The Conversation highlights how Canada’s wildfire season is becoming more unpredictable and dangerous, posing increasing risks to communities and ecosystems. Once confined to late spring and summer, wildfires are now burning year-round. In 2024, Alberta’s fire season began in February, while Québec saw its fourth earliest wildfire since 1973 in mid-March. British Columbia also reported early-season fires soon after, underscoring the shifting nature of these extreme events.

This recent article from The Guardian highlights how climate change is intensifying drought conditions across the southwestern U.S., despite recent heavy rainstorms. Earlier this month, California’s mountains saw over 6 inches of rain in just a day— yet the deluge wasn’t enough to counteract long-term drying trends. Communities like Malibu and Sierra Madre, already recovering from devastating wildfires, are now facing destructive mudslides, illustrating the region’s increasing vulnerability to extreme weather swings.

This recent article from CBC News highlights how climate disasters are causing record-breaking insurance losses, raising concerns about a potential financial crisis. In 2024, insurance payouts in Canada exceeded $8.5 billion, driven by events like wildfires in Jasper and flooding in Ontario and Quebec. Meanwhile, the wildfires in Los Angeles alone could cost insurers between $40 billion and $65 billion CAD, the most expensive in California’s history.

This recent article from The Conversation highlights how worsening water scarcity along the United States - Mexico border is creating a growing crisis for millions of people on both sides. Climate change is driving prolonged droughts, rising temperatures and declining surface and groundwater supplies, exacerbating water stress in one of the most arid regions in North America.

Sicily is grappling with its worst drought in history, placing entire communities, such as Troina, on the brink of survival. With reservoirs running dry and tensions over dwindling resources escalating, the island's residents are fighting for access to the limited water supplies that remain.

The latest article from The Guardian highlights how the climate crisis is disrupting Earth's water cycle, amplifying extreme floods, droughts, and storms that impact billions of people worldwide. With 2024 recorded as the hottest year in history, these intensifying weather patterns have caused widespread destruction, resulting in at least 8,700 deaths, displacing 40 million people, and inflicting over $550 billion in economic losses.

This recent article from The Conversation highlights how Canada’s fragmented water governance and growing consumption threaten the country’s freshwater future. Despite having access to 20% of the world’s freshwater, Canadians are among the highest per-capita water users, consuming more than twice the United Nations’ recommended limit. While Canada has historically avoided major water shortages, climate change and mismanagement are increasing the risk of scarcity.

This recent report from the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) warns that Summer 2024 was the most destructive season in Canadian history for insured losses due to severe weather, with over $7 billion in claims.

This recent article from The Conversation highlights how climate change is making Canada’s ice roads increasingly difficult to navigate, threatening the lifelines of remote northern communities.

A recent article from The Guardian highlights an alarming reality: nearly all US states—except Alaska and Kentucky—are facing drought conditions after a summer of record-breaking heat. According to the US Drought Monitor, more than 150 million people and 318 million acres of crops are affected, marking a 150% increase in impacted individuals and a 57% rise in affected farmland compared to last month.

This recent article from The Guardian warns that more than half of the world’s food production is at risk within the next 25 years due to the escalating global water crisis. The landmark review, published by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, emphasizes the urgent need for governments to take immediate action to conserve water resources and protect the ecosystems that sustain fresh water supplies.

This recent article from TIME Magazine explores the severe water inequality in the Navajo Nation, where over one-third of Diné families must haul water across long distances, paying more for water than most Americans while using the least per capita. Just 80 miles away, residents of Utah’s Washington County—sharing the same water supply—pay far less and consume much more. This disparity showcases the systemic inequities in water access across the American West, exacerbated by a megadrought that has left the region drier than at any point in 1,200 years.

This article from CBC News highlights the challenges faced by Alberta farmers as they grapple with drought and fluctuating water supplies. Earlier this year, North Paddock Farms, part of the St. Mary River Irrigation District, faced a 50% cut in water allocations after a dry winter reduced snowpack and reservoir storage. However, the situation shifted dramatically when heavy rains arrived in May, easing irrigation concerns and improving crop conditions.

This recent article from The Conversation explores the critical role that groundwater plays in sustaining North America's lakes, with a focus on the Canadian landscape, home to nearly 90% of the continent’s lakes. Lakes are essential for biodiversity and recreation, but they also serve as "sentinels of change," reacting quickly to environmental shifts, making them vital indicators of the impacts of climate change and human activities.

This recent article from Yale Environment 360 reports on the challenges faced by northern communities in Canada's Northwest Territories as the Mackenzie River experiences unprecedented low water levels. With the river too shallow for barge traffic, essential supplies like food and fuel are being flown into remote villages at high costs. This has prompted renewed calls for the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway, a $1 billion project that could provide a critical lifeline for these communities.