Across the globe, climate change is adding fuel to a dangerous type of fire: wildfires. So far in 2026, wildfires consumed 85 million hectares of land in Africa and 44 million hectares in Asia between January and April to set new records of land burned for this time period. The 150 million hectares of land burned globally during the first four months of 2026 is more than twice the size of Texas. As temperatures only continue to rise with the arrival of summer, the European Union just assembled a team of 777 firefighters from 14 different European nations along with 27 fire-fighting aircrafts, its biggest wildfire response team ever, to prepare its members for a summer of flames.

As climate change continues to warm and dry the planet, wildfires will become more common. They will also become more catastrophic by burning more land and degrading our air quality and therefore harming our health. And climate change is not the only thing sparking wildfires. Human-driven deforestation is causing wildfires as it dries out vegetation by reducing shade in forests; leaves behind small, flammable wood pieces; and eliminates large numbers of trees which are carbon dioxide absorbers, ultimately raising global temperatures.

The need for effective solutions is only growing more urgent. Thankfully, a look at different approaches to preventing and extinguishing wildfires embraced by different countries around the world shows that many solutions are developing.

High-Tech Means Highly Effective

One of the ways countries are responding to wildfires is through technological innovations. 

Japan

In Japan, researchers and governmental agencies joined forces with a Japanese soap company, Shabondama Soap Co., in 2001 to develop, test, and perfect an environmentally-friendly soap-based fire extinguisher, the first of its kind.

Traditional fire extinguishers require petroleum-based surfactants which greatly damage water- and soil-dwelling organisms. This product, however, has naturally sourced surfactants, making it highly biodegradable. And, it requires much less water than when water alone is used to extinguish fires. Soap doesn’t only eliminate germs, it can help eliminate wildfires, too!

United States

In the United States, researchers at Stanford University are testing a new formula for a fire-repellent sprayable gel that could be applied on homes and infrastructure to stop them from being set ablaze during wildfires. While similar products are currently available commercially, this gel offers longer-lasting protection due to additional layers that increase its ability to withstand fire. That’s hot!

Australia

Like other countries, Australian researchers, supported by the Australian government, are engineering firefighting drones. Australian bushfires are frequently ignited by lightning strikes, and early recognition and response is critical to managing them; however, remote bushfires commonly burn unidentified for multiple days. 

Drones could solve this problem by identifying lightning fires and limiting their spread. They can reimagine our response to wildfires as they have useful qualities that human firefighters lack: the ability to work over night, without rest, and on the same task again and again. These drones can expel wildfires at lightning speed — literally!

More Than One Right Way

Wildfires are also fought by following indigenous and traditional practices. 

Brazil

Since 2014, the Brazilian environmental protection agency (IBAMA) has collaborated with the Xerente Indigenous community in northern Brazil to perform traditional, controlled burns to decrease the likelihood of large forest fires in the Cerrado region. It might seem counterproductive to prevent fire with fire, but these fires kill large amounts of flammable grass and result in burn areas that protect villages from potential wildfires. IBAMA works alongside indigenous experts to ignite patches of fire and standby in case the fire grows too large. Teamwork makes the dreamwork!

Spain

In Catalonia, Spain, there has been an increase in the use of goats to mitigate wildfires. Mataro, the largest city in Catalonia, is participating in widespread European Union efforts to reduce wildfire breakouts. Using livestock to manage wildfires is not only effective but also environmentally-friendly as it replaces farm machinery.

Farmers have used goats and other livestock to carve out firebreaks for many centuries. By hungrily munching on the grass and brush at the edge of forests, the herd of 300 goats leave areas without vegetation that limit the spread of wildfires. It doesn’t get BAAAA-tter than that!

It Takes a Village

Fighting wildfires requires community involvement, too.

Mauritania

In West Africa, Mali refugees inhabiting the M’bera refugee camp formed a volunteer firefighting team called the Anti-Fire Brigade. Established in 2013, the team extinguishes deadly bushfires in Mauritania that have the potential to eliminate its scarce grazing areas. Having fled violence in Mali to this neighboring country, the volunteers view their firefighting as a way to give back to the Mauritanians for accepting them into their country. 

The group works tirelessly to fight fires without what many might consider essential to firefighting: water. African bushfires often occur far from water sources, leaving the volunteers to extinguish the fires by hitting the flames with highly heat resistant acacia tree branches. Water isn’t the only way to cool down flames!

Indonesia

In Indonesia, a grassroot organization, Alam Siak Lestari (ASL), enacted the “Healthy Ecosystem Alternative Livelihood (HEAL) Fisheries” program to decrease peatland fires. Peatlands, a type of wetland that covers much of Southeast Asia, are critical to the economic livelihood of many. But, they can be set ablaze and cause great social, economic, health, and environmental damage. 

HEAL helps communities in the Indonesia peatlands farm snakehead murrel fish that will be used to manufacture a health supplement made from their albumin, a protein known for its cell regeneration capabilities. The fish cultivation supports community members economically with income and business opportunities. At the same time, it helps the environment by keeping the peatlands moist and reducing slash-and-burn farming, both decreasing the risk of wildfires. Who knew fish could help fight fires!

Canada

After a record-breaking Canadian wildfire season in 2023, wildfire experts called for a change to how wildfires are fought in Canada. Traditionally, wildfires are fought reactively, with firefighters jumping into action to put out the flames once a fire breaks out; however, as wildfires grow more numerous and aggressive, even an endless amount of firefighters does not appear to be enough to extinguish all of them. So, experts pushed for preventative  forest closures when the risk of wildfires is high before wildfires begin. 

Government-ordered forest closures force all surrounding community members to be involved in wildfire mitigation. But, doing so can eliminate the risk of visitors sparking a fire from a campfire or trail vehicle. Importantly, when enacting such measures, authorities must ensure that the mobility rights of individuals are heavily considered and that the woods ban is specific. Of course, removing humans from the equation does not entirely eliminate the risk of wildfires, but it does decrease it!

You!

Finally, you can help fight wildfires no matter where you are in the world by helping to reverse deforestation when you support reforestation efforts. EARTHDAY.ORG’s Canopy Tree Project is enacting positive change in communities and for the environment by planting trees all over the globe.

We all can be firefighters and fight wildfires. We just have to choose how we want to put out the flames.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at woods@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post Wild Ways to Tame Wildfires appeared first on Earth Day.

When he first saw footage of Hurricane Melissa striking the island of Jamaica on October 28, 2025, Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher, remarked that it “looks like it doesn’t even know [the island] is there.” 

The storm simply swept through, oblivious to the land, forests, buildings, homes, and people in its path — even as it destroyed them. Before-and-after satellite imagery paints an alarming picture of how the storm decimated the land. Where there were once tall, lush trees and clearly defined city blocks, we now see far-flung debris, in muted colors, lacking the same spirit.

Melissa was the strongest hurricane in modern history to hit the Caribbean islands, and, as it struck Jamaica, it was a Category 5, the most dangerous ranking on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale which classifies hurricanes based on maximum sustained wind speed and potential property damage. It has since slowed down, and become a Category 2. 

To date, 49 people have been confirmed dead in Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba, while 735,000 Cubans and 28,000 Jamaicans were ordered to leave their homes. 

Melissa’s destruction was witnessed globally, with many describing the damage as  “shocking” or “unimaginable”. However, climate experts highlight rising global temperatures are creating ideal conditions for more intense hurricanes to form. The true tragedy isn’t the storm’s surprise but our ongoing dangerous ignorance of the increasing likelihood of more shocking and unimaginable storms to come.

Boiling Waters

In the scientific community, it’s well-established that climate change intensifies natural disasters. Hurricanes in particular draw energy from warm waters, so as global temperatures rise, it becomes more likely that a given storm will have higher wind speeds and levels of rainfall. Studies show that climate change intensified Hurricane Helene, which struck Florida in September of 2024, by increasing its wind speed by 13 miles per hour and its rainfall by 10-50%.  That same year, Hurricane Milton formed due to “unusually warm sea surface temperatures…[which] were made up to 400 to 800 times more likely by climate change.”

But the general public might not recognize these dangers. In Great Britain, most people support net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but half “rarely” or “never” talk about it publicly.  In America, people often try to normalize the abnormally destructive power of recent extreme weather events and disasters — not always out of malice, but often out of fear. This means that after the extreme flooding in Texas’s Hill Country in July 2025, which caused catastrophic damage and loss of life, many residents and locals said things like “[they] get flooding all the time.” 

This response often comes not from indifference but from fear and a coping mechanism of normalizing repeated disasters. Despite the severity, such attitudes can make it harder to push urgent climate action, especially as similar patterns of hesitation or regression appear in other countries like Canada and Mexico.

But denial won’t change the fact that what’s happening to our climate isn’t normal. In the past, a hurricane as exceptionally powerful as Melissa would have only happened once every 8,000 years, but climate change has made it four times more likely.  In addition, as it moved through the Atlantic Ocean before hitting Jamaica, it went through two spikes in wind speed and intensity caused by abnormally warm ocean waters. And these conditions will create more monstrous hurricanes in the future if nothing is done.

The Human Impact

As of Friday, November 7, around 45% of Jamaicans across 77% of Jamaica did not have electricity due to the hurricane’s impact on national power lines.

In Massachusetts, Delroy Allen, a high school tennis coach, was unable to contact his family in the country in the aftermath of the hurricane. He’s seen pictures of devastation from his hometown, but can’t reach his family to find doubt if they are safe. A Jamaican chef in Atlanta also feared for his sixteen-year-old daughter after he saw photos of St. Elizabeth, the parish most directly affected by the hurricane, where most homes no longer have a roof. Richard Solomon — the mayor of Black River, a town described as “ground zero” for Hurricane Melissa — struggles with losing both his car and roof to flooding.

Because of stories like this, and the widespread images of Hurricane Melissa’s impact on social media, many individuals, NGOs, and nations have offered their support. The Red Cross is providing shelter, and its Restoring Family Links program can help separated relatives find each other (family members can call 1-844-782-9441, or talk to a member of a Red Cross shelter, to do this). Additionally, Great Britain is giving 2.5 million pounds, and the United States is sending teams to provide direct aid (though, because the current administration shut down the agency that normally coordinated aid, USAID, it may not be as effective). 

Stafford Geohagan, a Brixton restaurateur with family in Jamaica, believes that after Jamaica has wired to save its citizens in immediate peril, and has time to assess the full extent of the hurricane’s impact, the country will “rise up” from this crisis — more united.

Talking About Disaster

But this raises a question – how should we talk about disaster? On the one hand, it’s completely understandable that the leader of a country wants his people to feel hopeful. On the other hand, this notion of “rebuilding” feels at odds with the reality that Jamaica, as a low-lying island, is vulnerable to more climate-related disasters that will continue to occur as it recovers from this one. 

According to Dr. Michael Taylor, a professor of climate science at the University of the West Indies, one reason why Jamaica mobilized so well to prepare for Hurricane Melissa was because of its history with hurricanes — specifically, he mentions Hurricane Beryl, a Category 4 hurricane that struck last year, killed four people, and cut off access to drinkable water for 1 in 5 people.

It may be hard for anyone to talk about this as a pattern, when everyone — in or outside Jamaica, or the other affected Caribbean nations — right now needs to believe in recovery. 

While some heavily industrialized countries are helping Jamaica, their high greenhouse gas emissions, GHG,  means they are some of the same counties most at fault for causing climate change and by default the rise in ever more powerful hurricanes.  

What we have to do now is find ways of having meaningful conversations about how we can all work together to mitigate GHG emissions and slow climate change down.  With COP30 just kicking off in Belém, Brazil – there has never been a more urgent and critical time to do it.  What the world needs now, especially island nations like Jamaica, is meaningful action not just more talking.

A crucial part of fighting climate change is shifting away from fossil fuels toward clean, renewable energy like solar and wind, which produce far fewer greenhouse gases. EARTHDAY.ORG, EDO,  is committed to supporting and amplifying the growth of these cleaner energy sources.  Which is why EDO designated 2025’s Earth Day theme as OUR POWER, OUR PLANET, to highlight the urgent need for renewable energy, calling for a goal of one-third of global electricity to come from renewables by 2030. You can support this movement by signing  the ‘Our Power, Our Plane’  petition for a cleaner, healthier future for us all.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post Hurricane Melissa Wasn’t a Surprise – It Was a Warning appeared first on Earth Day.

With recent disasters like the flash flooding in Texas which killed over 135 people this July, it is worth looking at how other regions in the U.S and around the world have recovered from flood and storm events. In coastal regions prone to flooding, clear learnings have emerged over the past two decades — prompt action from national and international governments is always central to the best recovery and future prevention efforts. 

Even countries which are used to floods, like Bangladesh, are struggling to cope with recent weather events due to their increasing frequency and severity. Those floods, along with tropical cyclones like Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and Cyclones Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique are real world climate disasters.  

They hold valuable lessons for how to mitigate and manage these types of catastrophic weather events and point to why the actions of the present U.S. Administrations are undermining vulnerable communities’ ability to survive them. 

Hurricane Katrina Devastates Mississippi and Louisiana 

Today is also the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and with conversation stirring around the documentary Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time, the discussion surrounding how race, poverty, and government response intersect in the face of climate disaster has never been more urgent.

Katrina exposed deep structural inequalities and today, as disasters become more frequent, those same communities remain the most at risk. The lessons of Katrina must not only be remembered, but acted upon.

In August 2005, tropical storm Katrina formed in the Bahamas before racing across the Gulf of Mexico, gaining strength to hit Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. By the time it made its final landfall in Louisiana on August 29th, it was a Category 3 hurricane, meaning its sustained wind speed was clocked at 125 miles (201 kilometers) per hour. 

Thanks to record-breaking storm surges, New Orleans’ flood levees failed, devastating the city’s infrastructure. 80% of the city, most of which sits below sea level, was submerged. Katrina inflicted $125 Billion worth of damage and is regarded as one of the costliest weather events in US history. Over 1,830 people died in the tragedy, and hundreds of thousands were displaced.

Storm waters overwhelmed the New Orlean’s sewer system and washed their contents into the streets; the floodwaters were filled with disease as well as dangerous chemicals like lead and arsenic from the soil. As evacuees clustered together in makeshift rescue centres, floodwaters remained high, disease spread, and a public health crisis began.  After 4 days, the national guard was deployed to hand out desperately needed food and water. 

The entire region was in desperate need of relief, but the U.S. was not simply prepared to deal with the aftermath — even receiving international aid became an issue. In the following weeks and months, Mexico and Canada both provided troops to help with rescue, recovery and the clean up, but strict regulations restricted the amount of foreign aid that could be accepted and spent. This meant that the vast majority of the help offered — including USD 400 million in oil — was not used.

Hurricane Katrina led to systemic reforms — the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) became its own entity within the Department of Homeland Security, elevating its ability to respond to climate disasters. Ten regional FEMA offices were created to increase effectiveness at disaster relief. Disaster funding, including “pre-disaster mitigation,” was also streamlined and made more reliable.

These policy changes each addressed a real world problem that Katrina exposed. As extreme weather events in the U.S become more frequent and fierce, though, many of these improvements are being rescinded by the actions of the current U.S. administration’s proposed elimination of FEMA.

Super Typhoon Haiyan Hits the Philippines

While they have different names, hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones are all forms of tropical cyclones. When tropical cyclones are near the Americas, we call them hurricanes; in the West Pacific they are called typhoons, and otherwise they are simply “cyclones.”

On November 8, 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan — known locally as Yolanda — made its first landfall at Guiuan, Eastern Samar, in the Philippines. It hit the area as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 196 miles (315 kilometers) per hour. Its record-breaking winds and storm surge wreaked havoc across the country, killing 6,300 people. Many communities were completely razed, with nearly all the deaths occurring in the capital city of the province of Leyte, Tacloban.

The widespread removal of mangroves forests in the area exacerbated the storm’s destruction. Mangroves’ complex root systems can reduce storm surges by stabilising the soil, which is why local community initiatives have worked to replant them following the typhoon. This is also why EARTHDAY.ORG actively supports the planting of trees in other regions of Southeast Asia, including mangroves, with the Canopy Tree Project. For similar reasons, many farmers have turned to bamboo, which provides easy building materials in addition to preventing erosion.

Following the typhoon, the country also worked with USAID (the U.S. Agency for International Development) and other international organizations to create an early warning alert system called PhilAWARE. Its effectiveness was proven in December 2021 when it warned 400,000 people to evacuate in advance of the landfall of Category 5 Typhoon Rai (with wind speed 160 miles or 257 kilometers per hour), saving many lives.

PhilAWARE demonstrates why international cooperation is so key in creating effective, government-run disaster mitigation systems. Organizations like USAID made a real positive impact on disaster preparedness in the Philippines. 

On July 1, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio officially announced the closure of USAID. Millions of human lives, many of them babies and children, will now be lost as a result, an anti-life decision by a government that claims to be staunchly pro-life.

Cyclones Idai and Kenneth Wreak Havoc in Mozambique

On March 14, 2019, Beira, in Mozambique was hit by the Category 2 Cyclone Idai — made doubly shocking as Africa rarely experiences tropical cyclones. The storm brought death and destruction across Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Madagascar. The immediate death toll was over 1000, and the storms’ initial destruction was compounded by outbreaks of cholera and malaria.

Just weeks later on April 25, 2019, Category 4 Cyclone Kenneth hit northern Mozambique with wind gusts of up to 140 miles per hour. Kenneth killed a further 45 people and leveled 45,000 homes.

Relief after these cyclones came largely from generous international sources: USAID and other United States organizations played a “leading role” in coordinating relief efforts. USAID deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team and scaled aid to tens of millions of dollars, including food aid and program support. The U.S. Department of Defense contributed material and logistical help during initial relief efforts.

UNICEF (the United Nations agency for children) provided much-needed water and vaccines to those affected, aiding over 1.5 million people in total. International aid was coordinated by the Mozambican government and the UN through the Mozambique Recovery Facility (MRF), again largely funded by USAID, which is now closed.

The U.S. Turns Its Back on Hope

Until we can mitigate the worst effects of climate change and the subsequent and inevitable extreme weather events that it triggers — climate disasters will be inevitable. Mass casualty events are becoming increasingly commonplace.

As we have seen, short-term relief and long-term resilience require both prompt government action and international cooperation. The United States has, until recently, been a leader in this regard. Now, even though the country is the largest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases that are driving climate change, we appear to be taking less responsibility for it than ever. 

As the climate crisis accelerates, we need well-coordinated disaster response capabilities. Contact your Congressional representatives to vote no on H.R. 3347, the Sovereign States Emergency Management Act, that aims to abolish FEMA. Urge them to invest in climate resilience and improve response capabilities instead, because no one should face a catastrophe alone.

Climate disasters are going to continue until we can stop using fossil fuels and shift to energy that doesn’t destroy the planet. If you live in the United States, you can write to your state lawmakers asking them to invest in renewable energy. Otherwise, sign our renewable energy petition to make your voice heard by leaders around the world. 

50 years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency was created after 20 million Americans demanded action from President Nixon to protect the planet, on that first Earth Day. It set in motion regulation that reigned in the worst excesses of the fossil fuel industry.

The time to act is now. Do it for your children’s health. For all of our children’s health. No matter how rich or how poor, how powerful or how exploited, we all share the same planet.

If you care about the environment, and are in the U.S., we need your voice. Add your name to our public comments on the EPA’s intentions to gut the agency’s ability to regulate pollution due to climate change, also known as the Endangerment Finding.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post Extreme Weather Events Are Anti-Life appeared first on Earth Day.

Watching the news feels as if we’re living through “once-in-a-century” storms again and again. Well, we are, and the pace and severity of these weather events is only accelerating. In this reality, accurate forecasting and effective warning systems are not just helpful, but essential.

Who is Watching the Weather? 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, has long been the nation’s weather brain. They monitor everything from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean, delivering life-saving forecasts through the National Weather Service (NWS). Supported by a workforce that once included 12,000 experts, NOAA uses advanced research, satellites, and high-tech instrumentation to keep the public prepared for disaster. Its forecasts guide decisions for emergency managers, city officials, farmers, pilots, and families planning their daily lives. 

These efforts extend beyond national borders. NOAA collaborates globally to improve forecasting and respond to environmental challenges that threaten both natural ecosystems and human life. 

Now, NOAA is facing a storm of its own. Proposed budget cuts reduce NOAA’s funding by $1.5 billion, a staggering 24% drop. The fallout is already unfolding, as nearly 1,000 NOAA employees have been lost this year alone, including over 600 from the NWS. Local forecast offices are just scraping by. Some are operating overnight with skeleton crews, others are missing senior meteorologists critical for coordinating with live-saving emergency responses.

As climate chaos accelerates, our forecasting tools are being deserted. Federal budget cuts have already gutted NOAA’s public education team at Climate.gov, leaving millions without clear guidance on extreme weather. Plans to eliminate hurricane research labs in Miami threaten to reduce storm forecast accuracy by up to 40%, a downgrade with an estimated loss of $10 billion each hurricane season. NOAA’s greenhouse gas emissions monitoring network, which has tracked greenhouse gas emissions for decades, is on the chopping block as well. This isn’t just a loss of data, it’s a loss of foresight, safety, and resilience. Without climate science, we lose the ability to prepare for what is coming.

Forecasts aren’t just about whether to grab a jacket or umbrella. Accurate forecasting has become an essential line of defense. When this system is funded and fully staffed, forecasts do more than inform – they save lives. 

Warning Systems Save Lives – When They’re Funded  

When weather data goes down the drain, so does our ability to see the storm coming. And the storms? They’re not waiting.  

Each year, the United States faces an average of 10,000 thunderstorms, 5,000 floods, 1,300 tornadoes, and multiple hurricanes – not to mention droughts, wildfires, monsoons, and extreme heat. Weather, water, and climate-related events account for about 650 deaths and $15 billion in damages annually. They are also responsible for nearly 90% of all presidentially-declared disasters. 

That’s where the National Weather Service comes in. They issue over 1.5 million forecasts and 50,000 warnings each year, translating complex data into life-saving alerts – whether it’s a phone buzz, a flashing highway sign, or a siren that jolts you out of bed. 

When warnings work, they really work. Take Hurricane Debby in 2024 for example: thanks to accurate, early forecasting in the Gulf of Mexico, hundreds of offshore oil platform workers were evacuated and cargo ships were steered clear of danger. Just one day of early warning can reduce storm-related damage by up to 30%. In emergencies, minutes matter and they save lives. 

But when systems break down, the consequences are chilling. When Hurricane Joaquin struck in 2015, the cargo ship El Faro sailed straight into its path, despite worsening weather conditions. All 33 crew members aboard were lost. The investigation revealed gaps in both forecast communication and access to timely weather updates — a haunting reminder of how high the stakes are.

The bottom line; these alerts are only as good as the infrastructure behind them. If we lose the satellites, the software, and the senior meteorologists, we lose the headstart. 

Investing in Survival: Weather Data as Public Infrastructure  

About one-third of the US economy – a staggering  $3 trillion – is weather and climate sensitive. Flights, freight, food, festivals, and fishermen all rely on accurate forecasts to keep things running safely and smoothly. 

Take agriculture: it lives and dies by the weather report. Farmers rely on up-to-date weather predictions to know when to plant, irrigate, harvest, or batten down the hatches. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, wildfires, floods, and heatwaves in 2024 alone caused over $20.3 billion in ag-related losses. With reliable forecasts, growers can brace for impact and adapt. Without them, they’re left exposed, risking their livelihoods and the stability of our food systems. 

Then there’s aviation, where weather intel isn’t just useful, it’s essential. Every takeoff and landing hinges on knowing what’s brewing above. Weather causes 22% of aviation accidents and over 74% of flight delays over 15 minutes. Advanced tools like Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting (GRAF) and Terminal Airspace Convective Risk (TrACR) help pilots navigate turbulence, fog, volcanic ash, and storms, keeping passengers safe and flights on schedule.

If you own a home, weather forecasting hits even closer to home – literally. NOAA’s decision to stop updating its billion-dollar disaster database after 2024 could impact your wallet. This public data set has long helped insurers assess risk from wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and other natural hazards — all of which are growing more frequent and intense. Without it, insurance companies may turn to fragmented private data, leading to higher premiums, dropped coverage, or canceled policies. Suddenly, protecting your home or car from climate chaos becomes a lot more expensive. 

While NOAA might not be armed, wear a uniform or carry a badge, it’s the quiet backbone of US national security. Its data supports submarine navigation, sonar accuracy, and naval missions in shifting environments like the Arctic. It also underpins a seafood industry that employs over 2 million and rakes in over $300 billion every year. Tourism also thrives on sunny skies and accurate updates, as a bad storm without warning can shut down ski resorts, beaches, and whole vacation economies. Beyond the economy, NOAA keeps tabs on ocean temperatures, air quality, wildfire risk and habitat conditions critical for marine ecosystems, public health, and climate resilience. 

NOAA does more than predict the weather, it helps keep the country running. From guiding flights and protecting farms to securing coastlines and supporting public health, its data quietly powers the systems we depend on everyday. Investing in NOAA is investing in the safety, stability, and future of our communities.

The Sky is Warning Us – Are We Listening? 

The devastating floods in Texas are a heartbreaking example. More than 100 people lost their lives during sudden, merciless flash floods. But the failure wasn’t just nature’s fury, it was also a lack of preparation. At the time, critical positions at the San Antonio National Weather Service office were vacant, and outdoor sirens, which could have warned residents to seek higher ground, were never installed in the most impacted areas. City officials claimed the topography made them less effective, but the real reason came down to budget: they cost “too much”.

Forecasting and emergency response go hand-in-hand. We need trained meteorologists to interpret storm data and issue timely alerts, and we need public safety officials with the resources to deliver those alerts through sirens, signage, push notifications, or door-to-door evacuations. It’s a chain of protection, and every link matters.

For millions of people in the U.S, a forecast is about survival, not just what clothes we will wear that day. But precision forecasting doesn’t fall from the sky. It takes science, technology, research, but first and foremost, adequate funding. 

The skies are warning us — will we fund the people who listen and will we act in time to save lives?

This research is not “climate alarmism”, it’s a scientific consensus backed by decades of data. Greenhouse gas emissions are only increasing, and they are accelerating the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, putting millions of lives and livelihoods at risk. 

Join us at EARTHDAY.ORG in the fight to reduce carbon emissions and build a future rooted in renewable energy. By sending a letter, you can urge your elected officials to commit to clean energy solutions, reduce the impacts of climate change, and extreme weather events.

We also need you to help with the current threats to the EPA. Tell Congress we expect them to protect clean air and clean water for all  and to fight back, you can write to them here.  Demand that Administrator Zeldin abandon this reckless plan here and tell President Trump that our children deserve better here.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org.Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post Invest in Weather Forecasting Or Pay The Price of Disaster  appeared first on Earth Day.

As the climate crisis intensifies, inland cities typically insulated from hurricanes and sea-level rise are becoming unlikely epicenters of disaster. From scorching heatwaves to catastrophic wildfires and multi-year droughts, these urban areas have felt the full force of rising global temperatures. 

Their vulnerability is heightened by geography, infrastructural gaps, and delayed adaptation policies. Below, we examine four inland cities that have faced climate-fueled catastrophes and explore how these events signal the new frontlines of planetary heating.

1. Paradise, California: The Town That Burned Overnight (2018)

On the morning of November 8, 2018, a spark from a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) transmission line ignited dry brush near Camp Creek Road in Butte County, California — giving the Camp Fire its name. Fueled by sustained winds of up to 35 mph and vegetation left parched by years of drought and record heat, the Camp Fire exploded in size, engulfing the entire town of Paradise by nightfall.

In just four hours, the fire leveled the town’s core, trapping residents in cars and homes. It became the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, killing 85 people, injuring hundreds, and destroying over 18,800 structures, including 85% of Paradise’s homes and businesses. Nearly 50,000 people were displaced, with many still unable to return years later.

The fire burned over 150,000 acres, generating temperatures hot enough to melt aluminum car rims and leaving a toxic legacy of heavy metals and carcinogens in the soil. It emitted an estimated 5.5 million metric tons of CO2. Paradise’s vulnerability stemmed from a combination of fuel-loaded pine forests, suburban sprawl into fire-prone areas, and a warming climate that extended the fire season. In response, California passed new building codes and allocated $536 million for wildfire mitigation, but much of rural Northern California remains at risk.

2. Lytton, British Columbia: From Record Heat to Ruins (2021)

Lytton, a small village in the interior of British Columbia, was little known outside of Canada until it became the site of a record-breaking climate catastrophe. During the last week of June 2021, a high-pressure system created a “heat dome” over the Pacific Northwest, trapping hot air and pushing temperatures to unprecedented highs. On June 29, Lytton set a Canadian record of 49.6°C (121.3°F) — hotter than Las Vegas, Dubai, and any temperature ever recorded north of 50° latitude.

The next day, as residents sought refuge from the sweltering heat, a fire sparked near the town’s edge. Fanned by wind and bone-dry conditions, the flames overtook approximately 1000 residents’ homes, giving many only minutes to escape. 90% of the structures were destroyed, and two people were killed. The fire spread so quickly that even Canada’s advanced warning systems were unable to provide adequate alerts.

This event was one of the clearest examples yet of climate attribution science. Researchers concluded that the heat dome would have been “virtually impossible” without human-induced climate change, which made the event 150 times more likely. The dome caused over 600 excess deaths in British Columbia and cost billions in damages to crops, roads, and energy infrastructure. In rebuilding, Lytton is attempting to become a model “fire-resilient village” with fireproof materials, defensible space, and indigenous-led land stewardship. But the scars remain: physical, psychological, and ecological.

3. Chennai, India: A Megacity Runs Dry (2019)

In the summer of 2019, Chennai, a major inland city in southeastern India, faced an unprecedented water crisis that made headlines worldwide. Once known for its monsoon-fed reservoirs and thriving water temples, the city’s four main water sources, including Poondi, Red Hills, Chembarambakkam, and Cholavaram, were bone dry. Satellite images showed cracked earth where lakes had once been. For months, residents queued for hours in the heat, waiting for government water trucks, while businesses, schools, and hospitals scaled back operations or shut down entirely.

With over 11 million residents, Chennai had grown rapidly, but unregulated urban expansion, paving over wetlands, and excessive groundwater extraction had depleted the city’s natural hydrology. Groundwater levels fell by 80%, where 13 out of 16 groundwater assessment units in Chennai are classified as over-exploited. Groundwater is being withdrawn far faster than it is replenished, which is a clear sign of a deepening urban water crisis. Compounding the crisis was a 43% country-wide deficit in monsoon rainfall and extreme summer temperatures nearing 108°F (42°C), which increased demand just as supplies vanished.

Climate scientists warn that such crises will become more frequent in South Asia due to shifting monsoon patterns, sea-level rise (which salinizes freshwater aquifers), and urban heat islands. In fact, Chennai is listed among 21 Indian cities projected to completely deplete their groundwater reserves by 2030. In response, the city has invested in rainwater harvesting, desalination plants, and wastewater recycling. But critics say efforts are too little, too late. The crisis exposed the systemic inequity of water access, with poor and marginalized communities bearing the brunt of failed governance and rising temperatures.

4. Canberra, Australia: The Capital Chokes on Fire and Smoke (2019–2020)

During Australia’s Black Summer of 2019–2020, the inland capital city of Canberra experienced a climate nightmare. Though over 100 miles from the coast, the city was surrounded by bushland vulnerable to prolonged drought and lightning-induced ignition. Record heat and a three-year rainfall deficit turned the landscape into tinder, and by January 2020, smoke from nearby fires blanketed the capital for half a month.

Air quality monitors recorded a PM2.5 index peaking at approximately 575 µg/m³ on January 1, 2020, which was the highest recorded daily average among all Australian capital cities. Public institutions were forced to shut down, tourism collapsed, and pharmacies ran out of masks as residents struggled to breathe. The smoke infiltrated buildings, hospital emergency visits surged, and at least 417 excess deaths were attributed to smoke inhalation across the country.

In total, the Black Summer fires burned over 46 million acres, killed or displaced an estimated 3 billion animals, and destroyed over 3,500 homes nationwide. In Canberra’s backyard, the Namadgi National Park saw 80% of its area burned, decimating biodiversity and carbon sinks. The fires were fueled by Australia’s hottest year on record, which was 1.52°C above the 1961–1990 average, as well as a smoke-infused thunderstorm linked to climate-induced atmospheric changes.

Canberra’s experience shattered the illusion that the capital, with its greenbelts and planned neighborhoods, was somehow immune to nature’s fury. The event sparked calls for stronger federal climate policy, as Australia remains one of the highest per-capita emitters in the developed world.

Conclusion: Inland Doesn’t Mean Immune

Paradise, Lytton, Chennai, and Canberra illustrate the diverse and deadly ways climate change manifests far from coastlines. These are part of a global pattern of intensifying extremes. Inland cities face slower government responses, weaker infrastructure, and limited international attention despite shouldering a growing share of climate impacts. From fire and smoke to thirst and heat, the disasters hitting these places are warning shots for the rest of the world.

The path forward must include early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, environmental justice policies, and a most urgent transition away from fossil fuels. We cannot allow political rollbacks to stall progress. 

Tell your state lawmakers to stop rollbacks and commit to renewable energy by taking action here, and add your voice to the Our Power, Our Planet petition to help secure a just future for us all.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post Inland Cities Facing Heat, Drought, and Fire appeared first on Earth Day.

When the unexpected floodwaters of the Guadalupe River began rushing through Central Texas this July, starting on Independence Day through to July 7, their impact on me was closer to home than it was for most, as I was in there, in Tarrytown. What was clear was that these floods didn’t just create shocking imagery – they disrupted lives, destroyed memories, wrecked communities, and cost the lives of wildlife, pets, livestock, and worst of all, people. 

My girlfriend, who lives just outside of Austin, learned that the summer camp she had spent her summers at since childhood — a place she loved dearly — was gone. The camp buildings were torn apart, the surrounding trees ripped from their roots, and the campfire ring where many memories had been made lay buried under sediment and debris. The only good news is that, at least in her camp, everyone made it out alive. 

But she was not alone in this shared tragedy. Over 135 people died, and across the region, families were left shocked, displaced, with entire ecosystems gone in the wake of the waters. 

This tragedy exemplified the dynamic and potentially deadly nature of the Guadalupe River Basin, where steep terrain, shallow soils, and fast flow contribute to intense flash flooding, but where we also know climate change has almost certainly played a key part in making these floods more intense. 

Roots Uprooted & Systems Shaken

Floodwaters rose with unprecedented speed, reaching levels up to 30 feet in under an hour, wiping away the river’s banks. This rapid surge uprooted both mature and young trees and cleared away significant native vegetation; the very mechanism that normally stabilizes embankment soil and prevents erosion was itself washed away in an instant. As a result, vast areas of forest lining the river were lost, leaving exposed soil vulnerable to further degradation.  

A report from the Edwards Plateau region found that the removal of approximately 60% of woodland vegetation will increase annual runoff by about 40 mm per year, which is especially alarming in central Texas’s steep, now flood-impacted terrain. 

The wetlands adjacent to the river, which typically act as a natural sponge absorbing excess water, were simply overwhelmed and quickly became submerged.  When these natural layers of protection are lost, communities and wildlife face a new set of challenges and a more vulnerable future.

Wildlife Caught in the Wake

The flood also severely damaged critical wildlife habitats, displacing or destroying populations of native species, such as the Guadalupe Bass, leaving areas of the river ecologically unrecognizable. The destruction included the loss of their spawning beds, destabilized microhabitats they need to feed in, and even altered the water quality due to the sediment and pollutant influx. 

Wildlife rehabilitation centers across Central Texas reported that over 100 desperate animals were taken in – baby opossums, songbirds, foxes, and turtles – displaced, injured, or orphaned. Austin Wildlife Rescue reported that animals brought in after the floods were often soaked, disoriented, and needed immediate warming to prevent hypothermia. The animals that depend on low-lying vegetation or hollow trees for shelter were among the most exposed, and their habitats were left washed away or simply made uninhabitable by the floods.

Even as the floodwaters recede, the long-term danger persists, with the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, reporting that nearly 42% of U.S. wetlands have been physically altered, leaving them more vulnerable to habitat collapse. 

These disrupted habitats become breeding grounds for invasive species, such as nutria, and lead to further degradation of native ecosystems. For example, before the Coastwide Nutria Control Program, nutria overgrazing damaged an estimated 102,585 acres of Louisiana marshland, stripping vegetation and exposing fragile soils to erosion and tidal scour. 

Rooted Resilience in Riparian Forests

The floods were fueled by extreme rainfall, intensified by changing climate patterns, but also by the loss of natural vegetation and floodplain barriers due to human development. This limited the land’s ability to absorb and slow the rushing waters.  

A study from the Texas Hill Country found that maintaining native riparian vegetation, which is river-side plant life that acts as a natural flow buffer,  significantly decreases soil loss and sediment delivery during heavy rains, underscoring its key role in flood mitigation. That means that riverside vegetation can significantly reduce the impact of flooding. By failing to invest in these natural defenses, Texas is making local communities much more vulnerable and putting lives at risk. 

Despite Texas identifying over $50 billion in flood control needs, Texas lawmakers have allocated just $1.4 billion — only a tiny percentage of what is needed — towards environmental restoration efforts. Why? What is worse is that rampant development continues along these sensitive floodplains, often replacing forested buffers that can protect people with concrete. 

From Vision to Action in Flood Recovery

A coalition of environmental groups in Texas has begun pushing for statewide action with a focus on stronger watershed planning, stricter development in flood zones, and increased investment in ecological restoration. 

These aren’t environmental asks; these are human asks. 

They are public safety measures utilising how nature can mitigate the impacts of flooding. Studies show that for every $1 spent on ecosystem-based mitigation, it returns approximately $6 in avoided flood damages. Nature-based solutions could avoid billions in flood damages and have done in other parts of the U.S. For example, coastal wetlands spared over $625 million in losses during Hurricane Sandy, with salt marshes reducing annual flood losses by about 16% in New Jersey.

As Texas grows more vulnerable to extreme weather events, investing in natural infrastructure like this isn’t just smart policy – it’s a necessity.

While communities have started to rebuild their lives, their homes, replace infrastructure, replant fields and trees, and provide support to the overwhelmed wildlife centers. Locals know that even small actions can reap rewards – after the catastrophic Memorial Day flooding back in 2015, 75 volunteers planted 200 native trees along River Road in Wimberley, Texas, using species selected by Texas A&M to restore riparian buffers and stabilize the soil. Now, volunteers from surrounding communities are replanting native saplings, reviving disturbed soils, and restabilizing embankments by hand. These small acts of stewardship show that healing the land can also unite and heal the community.  

But these efforts alone cannot match the scale of the damage or the action needed. Only federal and state-level planning to build climate resilience can do that. 

The Water Will Return – Communities Follow Suit

The Guadalupe River will continue to flow, and the next storm will come, but what it destroys and what it carries away depends on the steps we take now towards rebuilding. If we choose to replant, restore, and respect the systems that quietly protect us, we can shape a future where rivers naturally recover, rather than leaving harm in their wake. 

We can begin by supporting reforestation efforts, such as Earth Day’s Canopy Tree Project, which helps plant millions of trees around the world. And tell our elected leaders that we need them to stop playing politics with climate change – it is real.

Right now, the man leading the EPA, the agency designed to protect us from devastating floods, pollution, environmental degradation, wildfires, and take action to mitigate climate change, Lee Zeldin, is recklessly claiming climate change is essentially not that bad; He is actively trying to undermine the power of his own department to protect us. Tell Congress we expect them to protect and keep the EPA strong here. Demand that Administrator Zeldin abandon this reckless plan here and tell President Trump that our children deserve better here.

It’s time to make our voices heard and remind our elected leaders why Earth Day and this movement still matter. Help us fight. Send the letters.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post River Roots, Ruin, and the Road to Recovery appeared first on Earth Day.

August is National Water Quality Month, established to emphasize the importance of water for humanity, ecology, and economy. It is a great time to appreciate and take stock of our clean water resources. With climate change and human overuse triggering more frequent droughts, water is becoming an even more precious commodity, and researchers are being forced to find solutions in unusual places. So, could the answer to our water needs be running through our sewers?  

The Solution in Our Sewage

Some regions are being hit harder than others. Since the year 2000, the Southwestern United States has been experiencing a megadrought: over two decades of high intensity drought. Its severity rivals the most severe droughts of the late 1500s. Exacerbated by climate change, this drought is considered the worst the region has faced in over a thousand years. 

Water levels in rivers and lakes are dropping due to a combination of intensely dry weather and continued human overuse of the water that remains. Towns and cities in the region are scrambling for a solution.

Enter wastewater reclamation: the process of cleaning and reusing water which has already been used — be it from our kitchen sinks or even our toilets! 

Several countries already use wastewater. Facilities like the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant in Namibia and Changi Water Reclamation Plant in Singapore have been hugely successful in using advanced water treatment technologies to transform wastewater into high-quality, safe water. 

The US could benefit from following their example. Southwestern cities across California, Arizona, and Nevada, are already viewing wastewater reclamation as a solution to their water needs. Expanding wastewater reclamation efforts to wider areas could be massively beneficial for climate resilience.

Let’s take a deeper dive into three global cities that showcase the ingenuity of wastewater reclamation.

Windhoek, Namibia, Africa

Namibia is no stranger to water scarcity. As one of the driest countries south of the Sahara, it has long sought ways to increase and make the most of its limited water supply. In 1968, it opened the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant (GWRP) in its capital city, Windhoek. 

Goreangab was the first facility in the world to engage in Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) — filtering and disinfecting sewage to extremely high standards before it is reintroduced into the drinking supply. Goreangab’s success set a precedent, and Windhoek is still a shining example to the rest of the world. In 2002, GWRP was replaced by the New Goreangab Wastewater Reclamation Plant (NGWRP), which now provides 21 million liters daily — over a third of the area’s drinking water.

The idea of drinking purified water that was once sewage is unthinkable to many, but Goreangab employs an intensive 10-step process, including several layers of filtration and disinfection, even using bacteria to help remove organic matter in the water. This ensures that the water Goreangab produces meets Namibia’s own rigorous water quality standards as well as those of the World Health Organization (WHO). And it works: the facility has never been the cause of waterborne disease.

But DPR is not the only method of water reclamation. Most places that reclaim their water for drinking follow Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR). IPR involves mixing reclaimed water with unused water in an “environmental buffer” such as a lake before treating it again to make it safe to drink. Orange County in California, for instance, has long used IPR, and many perceive it more positively than DPR despite its higher energy costs and longer turnaround times.

Singapore, Southeast Asia

One of the most famous IPR facilities in the world is Singapore’s Changi Water Reclamation Plant. With a processing capacity of 920 million liters of purified water per day, Changi is more than 40 times bigger than Goreangab. 

Changi is also unique in that it sits below another facility: the Sembcorp NEWater Plant, which further purifies the water processed at Changi into “NEWater.” The final ultra-clean product is mostly used in Singapore’s many factories, but some is added to drinking water reservoirs, especially during the country’s hot summers.

The Changi plant was recognized at the Global Water Awards 2024, along with Singapore’s desalination plant, which turns seawater into drinking water. Together, these two facilities allow Singapore to maintain access to clean water despite its lack of abundant freshwater sources like rivers or lakes.

St. George, Utah, United States

Windhoek and Singapore are both large cities, but in the American West, water shortages are severe enough that even St. George, a small city of only 200,000 people, has decided to commit to the high financial costs of water reclamation. The project will cost about a billion dollars in total. 

St. George has many programs in place to conserve water, including paying residents to tear up their lawns and replace them with water-efficient landscaping. Limits on outdoor irrigation further reduce water use. Residents are even subsidized to replace old toilets with more efficient models. 

The new water reclamation plant, with 60 miles of new pipeline, and advanced wastewater treatment technology will enable them to stretch their resources even further.

The St. George facility is not yet completed, but by the end of 2025, it will be several times the size of Goreangab and serve surrounding towns as well. The initial plan is to use the water on fields and lawns to free up drinking water for locals. They will likely switch to DPR within 20 years.

While there are no active DPR facilities up and running in the United States right now, El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California are both considering DPR projects for the future. And diminishing regional water sources mean that we will likely see more water reclamation projects in the coming years across the Southwestern U.S.

Looking to the Future

As global temperatures continue to rise and our need for water increases, droughts are likely to worsen in frequency and severity. To ensure that everyone has water access in the decades to come, drought-prone areas must use it as efficiently as possible. That means conserving water, but it can also mean recycling our wastewater to be used more than once.

Don’t look down on wastewater reclamation, particularly DPR — thanks to the strict standards it is held to, it is entirely safe. This National Water Quality Month, think about how we can best conserve our fragile water resources. Wastewater reclamation has proven its value several times over; it could soon become a much more widespread strategy for water conservation.

To stay up to date on stories like this one, click the “join us” button and get updates on the top environmental news.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post From Sewage to Clean Water: What Three Global Cities Teach us About Climate Ingenuity appeared first on Earth Day.

With the temperatures rising everywhere, summers aren’t quite what they used to be. Heat waves are arriving earlier in the year, lasting longer and raising temperatures to record high numbers. 

This isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s dangerous. Extreme heat is the number one weather-related cause of death in the U.S., killing more people per year than tornadoes, hurricanes and floods combined. But not every neighborhood is equally at risk – or equally prepared. Here are six ways communities across the world are pitching in to keep their residents safe. 

1. Tree Canopy Projects =  “Shade Equity”

If you’ve ever thought that it feels hotter in some parts of a city than others, you’re not imagining it. That’s the Urban Heat Island Effect, where city infrastructure like roads and buildings absorb and then re-emit heat, raising local temperatures by 1–7°F on average, and sometimes even higher in the hottest neighborhood. 

The effect is harsher in areas with less trees, where access to shade has not been routinely planted. Historically low-income and redlined areas, a neighborhood unfairly and historically labeled as “high risk” by banks because it was home to racial minorities, have less tree coverage and more pavement, which absorbs and then re-admits more heat. 

In over 100 U.S. cities that were formerly redlined, we find average temperatures about 2.6°C (4.7°F) warmer than non-redlined neighborhoods in the same city. For example, in New York City, neighborhoods like the South Bronx—which are predominantly Black and Latino—regularly experience summer temperatures that are hotter than wealthier, greener neighborhoods like the Upper East and West Sides. A typical summer afternoon can see temperatures in the South Bronx easily reach 88–89°F, while areas around Central Park peak at only 80–82°F. This extreme heat difference is linked to less tree coverage, more pavement, and older, inefficient housing. As a result, the South Bronx sees higher rates of heat-related illnesses and deaths compared to the cooler, tree covered wealthier neighborhoods.

This is why cities like Los Angeles and Richmond are investing in tree-planting campaigns that target areas with low tree canopy coverage. They use tree equity score maps to find out where planting shade trees will provide the most amount of benefit and will have the biggest health impact. This creates cooler streets, cleaner air and a much needed shelter from the heat more quietly for everyone. 

EARTHDAY.ORG runs a Canopy Project to plant trees globally for the benefit of local communities.

2. Solar Problems Need Solar Solutions 

During heat waves, air conditioning can be lifesaving. Studies have shown having consistent access to an air conditioned space significantly reduces the health risks associated with heat exposure and may be the most effective way to prevent them. 

In a perfect world, everyone could blast their home and place of work with Air Conditioning (AC) when it gets too hot. However, despite the benefits home air conditioning units provide, high implementation, maintenance and running costs mean not everyone has access to it. Some communities even get their power shut off during heat emergencies. 

In response, more states and cities have expanded access to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a federally funded utility assistance program that helps low-income individuals with cooling costs. During declared heat emergencies, some utility companies voluntarily pause shutoffs, and in 19 U.S. states, companies cannot disconnect customers during designated time periods. 

Air conditioning is also a huge energy vampire – communities should rely more on solar energy where possible to create energy that does not contribute to global warming and utilises the hot weather to help cool us down. It’s a way to turn the problems solar energy causes to create solutions and is why EDO made the Earth Day theme for 2025 ‘Our Power Our Planet’, calling for a global tripling of renewable energy generation by 2030.

3. Creating Cooling Centers 

To combat unequal access to air conditioning and shade as well as make locations to escape the worst of the heat more available, cities across the U.S  are transforming existing facilities like libraries and government buildings into temporary cooling centers, public spaces that provide refuge from heat and occasionally distribute water and other materials.  

Every summer, cooling centers are becoming more common across the country. The process for finding and accessing cooling centers differs across states, but residents can generally find information about them by contacting a state’s 2-1-1. 

4. Cool Roofs and Pavement

Traditional black shingle roofs, used across North America, soak up and trap heat, forcing air conditioning to work harder and making it even hotter inside buildings while raising your electric bill. Luckily, some cities are turning to lighter, cooler roofs and pavement to mitigate the sun’s effects. 

New York’s Cool Roof Program, for example, provides individuals paid training and work experience installing reflective coating to roofs. Coating rooftops in white or reflective materials can reduce indoor temperatures by up to 30 percent. 

This strategy doesn’t stop at roofs, either. Cities like Chicago and Los Angeles are testing cool pavement, painting roads and sidewalks lighter shades to reduce high surface temperatures. This not only reduces the effects of the Urban Heat Island Effect, but has the added bonus of improving nighttime visibility, because they reflect more ambient light, making streets brighter and safer without extra energy use. 

These lighter pavements have two other added bonuses – they also reduce stormwater runoff temperature and volume by allowing better water infiltration and evaporation, which helps prevent thermal pollution and improves water quality in nearby waterways. While it seems like a simple solution, lighter pavement is a game changer for workers on the street, kids walking to school and even pets with hot paws!  

5. The Role of Dedicated Chief Heat Officers 

In many city government’s, heat-wave preparedness and recovery is overseen by multiple departments, making a unified response less likely. Cities like Miami and Los Angeles have streamlined this process by appointing new, dedicated public officials like Chief Heat Officers, whose role focuses on responding to heat emergencies and organizing local governments into action. 

Putting one person in charge of coordinating heat preparedness and recovery efforts allows cities to more effectively and efficiently identify the communities with the highest need, mobilize city governments, coordinate stakeholders and implement long term solutions. 

6. Community Fridges 

Effective responses to heat don’t always have to come from the government, but neighbors too. Grassroot efforts across the country have led to the creation of community fridges stocked with water, ice packs, cold drinks, and fruit. 

Some volunteers deliver cooling kits with fans, hats, sunscreen, and information on local resources, to seniors or the homeless. Others run hydration stations in busy areas. 

So, even when the government can’t (or won’t) fully step up, there is still something you can do to help. 

Bottom Line?

Climate scientists predict that heat waves will continue to grow in frequency, length and intensity in the U.S and globally. But we’re not helpless against them. 

There are always ways to get involved in climate action and help protect yourself and your neighbors from extreme heat. You can start by joining the movement today.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post 6 Smart Ways U.S Communities Beat the Heat appeared first on Earth Day.

Across the United States, climate change is intensifying and increasing the frequency of natural disasters. Record-breaking heat waves, severe floods, multi-year-long droughts, extreme wildfires, and worsening hurricanes are only some of the events putting millions of Americans at risk. For nearly 50 years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been on the front lines of disaster response in the U.S. Today, approximately 94 percent of Americans live in a county that received its aid since 2011. However, as the climate heats up, so does debate over its merits.

Since 1979, FEMA has played a critical role in ensuring access to financial assistance, emergency response staff, and other important resources to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. As a result, disaster aid has enjoyed bipartisan support for decades. 

However, a growing chorus of politicians question whether FEMA’s funding and reach should be limited, or even abolished entirely. But these proposals come at a time when FEMA is needed now more than ever. As our climate crisis accelerates, the need for a coordinated federal response system only grows. Abolishing FEMA wouldn’t make disaster response easier, but harder, less effective, and more costly for Americans. Here’s why.

The Crisis Crew

FEMA is a massive agency under the Department of Homeland Security, employing more than 20,000 people nationwide, and over 50,000 workers during major disasters. It plays a crucial role in securing the U.S. against natural disasters, including managing the National Flood Insurance Program, offering disaster preparedness training, and helping states develop emergency response plans. FEMA also leverages its position as a federal agency to coordinate federal resources and expertise, provide extensive financial assistance, and support logistics. 

Currently, FEMA provides support only when local officials request a presidential emergency declaration, which is applied when the disaster exceeds the state’s ability to respond. It doesn’t “take over” emergency response, but instead fills the gaps in state and local disaster recovery by pooling federal resources.

For example, FEMA provided emergency grants for food, clothing, and essential supplies for survivors of the 2023 Maui wildfires. It also arranged hotel rooms, rental assistance, and financial aid for those who lost their homes and funded the construction of a temporary school when the old one burned down. The agency helped thousands rebuild in a response that Hawaii wouldn’t have been able to match on its own, given its small population and limited emergency funds.

However, after Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina and killed over 230 people in September 2024, the new Trump administration denied the state’s request to match 100% of the state funds for disaster cleanup previously granted by the Biden administration. Hurricane Helene caused approximately $60 billion in damages in North Carolina, and the policy change could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
North Carolina isn’t an isolated case– after severe storms and tornadoes pummeled Arkansas in March, the state requested FEMA disaster relief, but that request was also denied.

Red States Might Lose The Most

Calls to eliminate FEMA are now underway, arguing the agency is too big and slow for a quick and flexible emergency response. They also claim that FEMA is too costly, bureaucratic, politicized, and inefficient. Instead, they propose that state and local officials would best lead disaster recovery and that states should handle emergencies without the federal government’s support to save money and increase efficiency.

Ironically, the states that benefit the most from FEMA are led by Republicans, the same party that tends to regard FEMA more poorly and is leading the calls to shut it down. States led by Republicans, including Florida and Texas, tend to experience more disasters than Democrat-led states, and more than 80% of the $45.3 billion in FEMA disaster grants from the past decade went to Republican-voting states. Republicans are working against their constituents’ best interests by trying to eliminate the agency that benefits them so much. 

What We’d All Lose

Right now, FEMA’s centralization and wide resource pool allow states to run on smaller governments than if they had to prepare for emergencies alone. Their flexible national offices are more cost-effective than every state and territory having to hire, train, and retain staff separately. Abolishing FEMA isn’t as easy as passing responsibility to the states– it would have major financial and logistical consequences that would exacerbate environmental inequalities. 

Abolishing FEMA would mean losing coordination, expertise, and logistics on a scale that state and local governments would struggle to handle alone. States would have to develop their own expertise, institutional knowledge, and stockpiles from scratch. This would likely spark bidding wars, with states competing against each other for resources and qualified disaster relief staff.

As a result, state governments would either have to raise taxes, slash essential services, ask Congress for emergency appropriations, or go without crucial resources—any option would significantly harm disaster recovery and put lives at risk. 

While states like California or New York may have the resources and infrastructure for large-scale disasters, many others don’t. Rural and poorer states lack the necessary financial resources and logistical capabilities for emergency management. This is especially true for states prone to recurring disasters, like Florida and Louisiana. Forcing them to fund and resource the rescue and clean-up efforts alone would lengthen recovery timelines, cost taxpayers more, and reduce overall disaster resilience.

To fill the gaps, the National Guard could help distribute supplies, but it isn’t designed to provide fast financial aid, housing, or long-term support. Additionally, instead of FEMA’s quick response mechanisms, Congress would have to approve federal funding after each disaster, leaving states at the mercy of congressional infighting.  

Fighting for FEMA

In 2022, FEMA responded to 500 major disaster declarations nationwide, and that number will only increase with climate change. Fortunately, Americans rank FEMA as the fifth-highest-rated U.S. government agency, and many believe FEMA will survive the calls for its closure. Federal disaster response isn’t perfect, but leaving disasters to individual states would exacerbate vulnerabilities, inefficiencies, and costs, not alleviate them. 

As the climate crisis accelerates, we need well-coordinated disaster response capabilities more than ever. Contact your Congressional representatives to vote no on H.R. 3347, the Sovereign States Emergency Management Act, that would abolish FEMA. Urge them to invest in climate resilience and improve response capabilities instead, because no one should face a catastrophe alone.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

The post FEMA Is Under Fire appeared first on Earth Day.

We know that climate education has a big role to play in mitigating the impacts of climate change, which is why EARTHDAY.ORG has been championing the teaching of climate education for over a decade now. We know that it alleviates climate anxiety, trains students with so-called “green skills,” and instills planet friendly lifestyles in younger generations that they will instinctively rely on to navigate a changing world. Our own recent report, Climate Education vs. The Climate Crisis, touched on all of these facts. 

But as we understand how education can influence our response to climate change, we often overlook a critical truth: climate change is already reshaping the very foundation of education itself. Schools around the globe are facing an unprecedented threat, as extreme weather events force closures, disrupt learning, and deepen educational inequities.

According to a recent report by the World Bank, climate change has caused widespread school closures, impacting the education of millions of students globally. Between 2022 and 2024 alone, 404 million students in 81 countries faced disruptions due to natural disasters, with low-income countries suffering the most. These nations lost an average of 45 days of instruction, a setback that many communities cannot easily recover from.

For countless schools worldwide, the story is the same: devastating floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and other extreme events have forced closures, sometimes for weeks, and in some cases, permanently. While some schools have the resources to rebuild, many do not. Even when reconstruction is possible, the damage extends beyond physical buildings. Students fall behind, and the shift to online learning — where available — fails to replicate the structure, social interaction, and oversight that traditional classrooms provide.

The environment is no longer a backdrop to education; it has become the setting for education and one that we must urgently address to safeguard the future of students everywhere.

Grizzly Flats, California, USA: The Caldor Fire 

In August 2021, a devastating fire ignited the El Dorado National Forest, fueled by brush from an extended drought and driven by relentless high winds – conditions that have become increasingly common globally due to climate change. The Caldor Fire quickly engulfed 219,000 acres, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Entire communities were decimated overnight, including the tight-knit area surrounding Walt Tyler Elementary School.

For over two decades, Walt Tyler Elementary had been a cornerstone of the community. When the fire swept through, it destroyed the school, leaving instructors without jobs and parents scrambling to find a semblance of normalcy for their children”s education. The fire also ravaged many homes, forcing families to face the dual challenge of finding a place to live while ensuring their children did not fall behind in their studies.

Some families were able to enroll their children in nearby schools, but others struggled to keep up, further widening educational gaps. The community has shown resilience, banding together to rebuild what was lost. Yet, not every community has the ability to slowly bounce back. 

Bentiu, South Sudan: Devastating Flood

In Bentiu, South Sudan, the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly dire, with extreme rainfall leading to devastating floods. Scientists have noted that as the Earth warms, the Horn of Africa and its surrounding regions are likely to experience more intense and frequent rainfall. This phenomenon occurs because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, resulting in heavier downpours.

The floods in Bentiu have had a profound effect on the community, particularly on the town’s school, which has been submerged and rendered unusable. When schools are closed the educational prospects of all students are severely disrupted. However, girls are disproportionately affected. Extended school closures increase the likelihood of child marriage, transactional sex for basic necessities, and early pregnancy, further diminishing their future prospects and resilience to climate impacts.

Across the region, many schools have suffered similar fates. In Sudan and Niger alone, 116 schools have been damaged in recent months. These floods compound existing challenges such as rising hunger, ongoing conflict, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, creating even greater barriers to education and threatening the future of an entire generation.

Covington, Tennessee, USA: Powerful Tornado 

In Covington, Tennessee, the community is grappling with the aftermath of a powerful tornado that tore through the town, leaving behind a path of destruction. Crestview Elementary and Middle Schools, which had served the community for over 20 years, were among the hardest hit. 

The tornado obliterated both schools, leaving students, teachers, and staff with virtually nothing. With hardly any walls left standing, the buildings are now unusable, forcing the schools to shut down until further notice.

Tornadoes are tricky to understand in the context of climate change, however scientists acknowledge that a warming climate can create conditions that may exacerbate extreme weather events. Increased atmospheric moisture and changing wind patterns are just some of the factors that could influence tornado activity. Though the specific impact of climate change on tornadoes remains uncertain, it”s clear that it isn”t helping.

The loss of these schools has left a deep void in the community. For two decades, they were pillars of education and support for local families, and their sudden destruction has thrown the futures of countless students into uncertainty. As the community begins the long process of rebuilding, they face the challenge of restoring not just the physical structures, but the sense of stability and normalcy that these schools provided.

Sindh, Pakistan: Insidious Mold 

In Sindh, Pakistan, catastrophic floods have led to the destruction of 5,000 schools, with mold infestations caused by the prolonged water exposure rendering these educational facilities unusable. The floods, which are increasingly seen as part of a broader pattern of extreme weather events linked to climate change, have had a devastating impact on the region”s infrastructure.

While it”s challenging to directly attribute these specific floods to climate change, scientists agree that a warming climate is likely exacerbating the frequency and severity of such events. Higher global temperatures can increase atmospheric moisture, leading to more intense rainfall and prolonged flooding. In this context, climate change is not helping and may be contributing to the worsening of conditions that lead to outcomes like those in Sindh.

The widespread destruction of these schools is a significant setback for the education of thousands of children. As the region struggles to recover, the task of rebuilding these institutions and providing a safe learning environment for students is both urgent and daunting.

Serbia, Russia: Extreme Cold

Heat is not the only factor affecting learning. In Serbia, extreme cold temperatures have presented significant challenges for students, impacting their ability to concentrate. Despite schools remaining open during severe cold spells, classrooms have struggled to maintain temperatures above 50°F, which has been shown to negatively impact learning. 

Recent findings link these extreme cold events to broader climate change patterns. As the Arctic warms, it disrupts traditional weather systems and can contribute to more intense and widespread cold waves. This phenomenon, where warming in the Arctic leads to increased cold spells elsewhere, is part of the complex interaction between climate change and weather extremes. 

Though Serbians are no strangers to the cold, -58°F is weather unsuitable for learning. 

Dominican Republic: Hurricane 

Hurricane Fiona has severely impacted the Dominican Republic, exposing a significant portion of the population, especially children, to multiple climate shocks. According to UNICEF, 9 out of 10 children in the region have faced at least two climate-related disasters.

The hurricane has caused widespread damage to essential infrastructure, including schools. The repeated exposure to such climate shocks exacerbates their vulnerability, making recovery and rebuilding efforts even more challenging.

The increasing intensity of hurricanes like Fiona is linked to climate change, which contributes to warmer ocean temperatures and more extreme weather events. This means that storms are not only becoming more frequent but also more severe, exacerbating the damage and disruption they cause.

Greece, Europe: Extreme Heat

In Greece, a severe heatwave has led to the shutdown of schools as temperatures soar to 109°F. The extreme heat has prompted authorities to close educational institutions to protect students and staff from the health risks associated with such high temperatures.

The increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves are linked to climate change, which is driving more extreme weather events. Rising global temperatures contribute to more intense and prolonged heat waves, impacting daily life and heightening the risk of heat-related illnesses.

For students in Greece, the closure of schools due to the heatwave not only disrupts their education but also underscores the broader effects of climate change on public health and infrastructure. Local schools were not equipped to handle these extreme temperatures, and studies indicate that students struggle to concentrate in such conditions.

Petrópolis, Brazil: Mudslide

In February 2022, devastating mudslides struck the city of Petrópolis in Brazil, leading to over 90 fatalities and leaving dozens still missing. The disaster, which has been linked to human activities such as deforestation and poor urban planning, highlights the severe impacts of climate change and environmental mismanagement.

The mudslides have also disrupted the lives of many students in the region. Several schools were repurposed as emergency shelters for those displaced by the disaster, forcing students to miss classes and contributing to significant educational interruptions. The use of schools as shelters underscores the broader impacts of the mudslides on community infrastructure and daily life.

New Delhi, India: Smog

In New Delhi, India, intense smog caused by the annual burning of crop residue has led to dangerously poor air quality, resulting in widespread school closures. The thick, toxic haze that blankets the city each year has prompted authorities to shut down schools to protect students from the severe health risks associated with such high levels of air pollution.

The smog has been linked to a range of health problems, including respiratory issues, eye irritation, and exacerbation of pre-existing conditions such as asthma and heart disease. The impact on public health is significant, with vulnerable populations, especially children, facing increased risks due to the hazardous air quality.

As the city grapples with the recurring smog crisis, the focus is on finding effective solutions to address the root causes and reduce the health impacts on residents. The closure of schools highlights the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to tackle air pollution and safeguard the well-being of New Delhi”s population. This year”s smog has reached alarming levels, prompting the Supreme Court to intervene and rule that the burning must stop. 

Climate change is profoundly affecting education around the world. From devastating fires and floods to extreme heat and smog, the increasing frequency and severity of these events underscore the urgent need for action. Schools, once safe havens of learning, are now on the front lines of climate change, facing closures and disruptions that hinder students” educational experiences. 

As we confront these challenges, it’s clear that our responses must not only address the immediate damage but also focus on building resilience and adapting our systems to better withstand future climate shocks. By recognizing the deep connection between climate change and education, we can work towards solutions that safeguard both our environment and the future of our children. Human actions have altered the climate, but we also have the power to reverse these changes.

The post Schools Feeling the Heat and Facing Consequences of Climate Change appeared first on Earth Day.