The week in climate
Trouble on the Colorado River, and workplace heat protections
Climate Forward
August 2, 2026

Here is some of our best climate reporting from the week.

A straight-on shot of an irrigation canal at dusk.

Rebecca Noble/Reuters

U.S. Raises Threat of Steep Water Cuts in Lower Colorado River Basin →

A man pushes a cart stacked high with boxes in an alley.

Allison Joyce/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Trump Administration Is Undoing Plans to Boost Workplace Heat Protections →

A dark scene at night, with two people in protective suits amid a field of bright orange and yellow flames.

Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Europe’s Summer of Reckoning Is ‘Just the Beginning’ →

A fire burns in the background as firefighters walk the fields nearby.

Umit Bektas/Reuters

Earth’s Warming Primed France and Spain to Burn, Scientists Find →

President Trump gestures at Chris Wright in front of a blue backdrop that reads “ratepayer protection.” Two other men in suits sit beside Wright.

Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Trump Administration Is Repurposing Federal Land for A.I. Data Centers →

A person carrying a bucket walks among trees and undergrowth toward a small well in a clearing.

Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times

In Ohio, Toxic Wastewater Is Bubbling Up Out of the Ground →

A brown, burned aircraft fuselage rests in a field near two ruck and a few small outbuildings.

Nina Riggio for The New York Times

Bipartisan Anger Grows at Pentagon’s Delayed ‘Forever Chemicals’ Cleanups →

Alex Ottoboni, wearing a black T-shirt, is holding a solar panel on his balcony.

Poppy Lynch for The New York Times

Plug-In Solar Panels Are Starting to Sprout in U.S. Backyards →

A man seen from behind sits at a desk in a room with lots of switches and controls. Another person is standing in front him looking down at some controls.

Why Restarting a Nuclear Power Plant Can Be Much Harder Than Expected →

Two people walking at a seaside area as a plume of smoke rises in the background.

Philippe Lopez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Emptying Countryside Leaves ‘No Simple Solution’ to European Wildfires →

CLIMATE FORWARD

This week’s newsletter editions featuring news and analysis for a warming world.

A panoramic view of the Cincinnati city center on a clear day, with bridges over the Ohio River in the foreground and tall buildings on the far side.

A City With a Plan

Cincinnati wants to take in people fleeing climate disasters. Plus, the latest on fires in Europe.

By Alexander Nazaryan

A huge storage tank at a Cheniere Energy liquefied natural gas plant. Three gas flares burn in the background.

Fossil Fuel Executives Cash In

Insiders at leading oil and gas companies have made millions from stocks since the Iran war began.

By Claire Brown

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