By Ryley Ober , The New York Times.  Excerpt: The first half of summer in Europe has featured a grueling series of heat waves and widespread wildfires, which have burned more than 1.3 million acres across the European Union. The Danube and Rhine rivers hit record lows caused by drought from the prolonged heat waves, upending river cruises and forcing operators to cancel or change itineraries with alternative bus transfers and hotel stays. ...Dozens of travelers told The New York Times that the sweltering season in Europe led them to reschedule travel dates, cancel tours of outdoor sites like the Roman Colosseum, leave trips early or plan future summer vacations to more temperate locations like Scandinavia or mountainous regions....  Full article at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/travel/europe-travel-tourism-wildfires-heat-waves.html . 

By Chris Clements , KNAU News - Arizona Public Radio.  Excerpt: Western rivers like the San Juan and the Colorado are mostly fed by burbling mountain streams, which are themselves fed by groundwater and snowmelt. But a study published on June 5 says those tiny streams are in trouble. The study in the journal Earth's Future says the base amount of water in streams and rivers that doesn’t come from rain, also known as “base flow,” has been steadily declining since 1950, though that trend varies depending on the specific time period. ...The study...predicts that if climate warming continues, by the end of the century, headwater streams could have anywhere from 45% to 65% less base flow to sustain them. ...water levels in Lake Mead reach their lowest point ever . The Colorado River Basin has faced aridification for the last 26 years. Tiny, ephemeral streams like Flagstaff’s Rio de Flag give mighty rivers the juice to flow freely. But they depend on base flow to do that. ...[The Rio de...

By Ailie McWhinnie , Science.  Excerpt: Last month, France experienced one of the worst wildfires in its history. Just outside of Bordeaux, towering flames bulldozed through forest and shrubland, the intense heat and smoke forming a fire-fueled thundercloud called a pyrocumulonimbus that had never previously been recorded in the country. France is not alone. ...wildfires across Southern Europe has so far this year burned more than half a million hectares...far exceeding the area burned by August 2025, the worst year on record. ...wildfire experts say a greater emphasis on preventative measures is needed to stop this year’s disaster from becoming a regular occurrence. ...climate change has greatly increased the risk. Since the 1980s, the number of “fire weather” days —scorching, dry, breezy days—has more than doubled across much of the region, according to a paper published last month in Scientific Reports . ...it is vital to modify the land to cut back on the accumulation of fuel....

By Rebecca Owen , Eos/AGU.  Excerpt: A changing climate increases the health risks posed by extreme weather. However, according to the 2024 Yale Climate Opinion Maps , only 47% of U.S. survey participants believed that global warming would harm them personally. Poor risk communication can leave affected populations underprepared to face the health dangers that can accompany extreme heat and cold, flooding, wildfire smoke , and severe drought . Manware et al. compared mortality risk estimates with public perception of climate risk to establish “risk perception gaps.” ...The results can be viewed in a publicly available dashboard . ...The percentage of adults who believed that climate change would personally harm them ranged by county from 28.5% to 60.5%, with an average of 37.7%. The gap between perceived and actual risk varied across the country and by hazard, but it was generally smaller in counties where more residents agreed that “global warming is happening.”...  Full a...

By Paul Voosen , Science. Excerpt: The countryside has always been seen as a refuge from the swelter of summer, its leafy shade and lack of concrete often keeping the air at least several degrees cooler than in the city. But now a pioneering study suggests that as global warming continues in much of the world, the countryside’s appeal as a climate buffer may dwindle. Most cities get hotter than their surroundings as their dark asphalt and concrete absorb the Sun’s rays. This urban heat island effect...is the foundational idea for studying warming in cities, and ...it has gotten stronger over the past few decades. Whether the effect will continue has been uncertain because global climate models subdivide the globe into boxes 100 kilometers on a side, too coarse to simulate climate on the scale of cities. The new study, however, relies on a high-resolution model that can resolve cities—and finds they will soon stop warming faster than their surroundings. ...As part of the European Union’...

By Arcelia Martin , Inside Climate News.  Excerpt: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s grid operator, reported last week that 70 percent of generation in the 460-gigawatt interconnection queue is from solar and battery storage. Natural gas facilities make up less than 17 percent of that line. ...State Sen. Phil King, a Republican from Weatherford, asked the leaders of ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) at a public hearing last week whether there should be a rule that puts a quota on what share of new generation connecting to the grid comes from fossil fuels....  Full article at https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06082026/texas-republicans-consider-natural-gas-minimums/ .