Drought

If you look at...

I always check drought.gov, and that gives you a drought map for the entire country.

And...

Yeah, we're in a large portion of Minnesota is in what's the D2, drought monitor two out of four, four being exceptional drought, really bad.

The Guardian Archive Long Read.

Hi, my name is Tim Smedley and I am the author of Drought is on the Verge of Becoming the Next Pandemic, published in 2023.

So my long read is about water demand and how water demand is outstripping supply in many parts of the world, including the UK, and taps will run dry if we continue on our current path.

So I look at how it came to this and what we can do about it.

Welcome to The Guardian Long Read, showcasing the best long form journalism covering culture, politics and new thinking.

For the text version of this and all our long reads, go to theguardian.com forward slash long read.

Drought is on the verge of becoming the next pandemic.

By Tim Smedley.

GF sets $140 million drought resilience push for 2026-2030 funding.

The Global Environment Facility is preparing a $140 million program designed to help countries move away from crisis-driven drought response and toward longer-term monitoring, planning, and resilience.

Expected to launch during the GEF 9 investment cycle, which runs from 2026 through 2030, the Drylands and Drought Management Integrated Program will focus on the growing economic and environmental risks linked to water scarcity and land degradation.

The program responds to priorities raised by parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and is intended to support countries working to strengthen drought preparedness across agriculture, water systems, ecosystems, public health, and local economies.

For businesses, the wider takeaway is that drought is increasingly being treated as more than an agricultural or humanitarian challenge.

Water shortages and degraded land can disrupt supply chains, infrastructure, energy production, commodity markets, and investment decisions, making drought resilience a more direct concern for corporate risk teams.

Drought funding shifts toward preparedness and prevention, A central goal of the planned GEF program is to help governments and communities act before drought conditions reach crisis levels.

Potential investments include drought monitoring systems, vulnerability assessments, national preparedness plans, and mitigation measures.

Despite the humidity, any rainfall is welcome.

The weekly map out Thursday from the US Drought Monitor shows worsening conditions here in the area, raising the risk of wildfires.

And Austin FC is on the West Coast this weekend for a matchup against Portland.

The Verde and Black bowed out of League's Cup competition after losing to Mexican side Toluca.

It's not hard to imagine that behind the first world narrative are memories of real periods of instability.

Droughts, long dry seasons, sudden storms, failing harvests.

To people living close to the land, changes in rainfall patterns or growing seasons wouldn't have been abstract phenomena.

They would have been immediate, terrifying and very obviously connected to whether or not people were keeping up their side of the agreement.

I am Brett Rekamp, and we have your top stories.

Drought conditions expanding now across Oregon and Washington, leaving some farmers without enough water for this year's crops.

Oregon State names their starting quarterback.

Judah newbie will join us in sports at four forty-five.

After a recent four to three vote to move forward, the council is debating exactly when the people should have their say in this major move.

Looks like a special election in February may be the plan.

Drought conditions continue to expand in Oregon.

Larry O'Neill, the state climatologist, says the area of most concern is an exceptional drought designation in Eastern Oregon.

Right now, the cost of r- all three are way up.

Drought has driven up the cost of hay and corn, so both raising and finishing cattle is more expensive.

Fertilizer costs have been high for years, uh, due in part to the war in Ukraine.

And of course, gas prices have been nuts because of Iran.

In the grand theater of football, a single spark from Aubameyang can't illuminate a stage dimmed by the absence of talent.

Drought stress hits trees hard.

Experts predict wilting futures.

When Mother Nature decides to throw a dry tantrum, trees become the unwilling participants in a slow-motion leaf-dropping contest, praying for a rain dance that never comes.

And like I've said before on the podcast, for every news article that we're reading about something like this, a species which is endangered all of a sudden out of nowhere, how many don't have articles written about them? How many do we not know are occurring out there? The oceans are warming, and the animal life is dying.

From Politico, "Romania shuts down nuclear reactor as Danube hits record lows.

The move deepens an energy crunch gripping parts of Europe after weeks of extreme heat." We mentioned that this could happen when we were doing the drought episode last week.

Here is an update on that.

Talk about it when describing an extended period with little rain and water scarcity.

Drought.

Sécheresse.

Mention it when explaining the beat, timing, or pattern in music, speech, or movement.

Rhythm.