An unusually intense, early season heat wave is gripping areas from Texas to the entire Southwest, including major metro areas such as Houston, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Sacramento.
Why it matters: Daytime high and overnight temperature records began to fall Thursday, including in Phoenix, and many will be tied or broken Friday through Sunday. The National Weather Service (NWS) is warning of a "high" potential for heat-related illnesses.
A new study out Thursday sheds new light on the drought history of the Colorado River Basin, and only adds to current concerns about the ongoing Southwest megadrought.
Driving the news: Based on tree-ring records of historical streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin, the study uncovered a drought in the second century that was more severe than the ongoing 22-year region-wide drought event.
The Department of the Interior plans to phase out single-use plastics by 2032 on its land and facilities, including the country's national parks.
The big picture: The announcement, made on World Ocean Day, said the department would find alternative materials to disposable plastics, such as cutlery, bags, cups, bottles, straws and food containers.
Forty-two million people are under heat watches and warnings in the Southwest into the weekend as a heat dome strengthens over the region, with temperatures soaring to hazardous levels from Texas to Arizona and northwestward into California's Central Valley.
Why it matters: Extreme heat is the leading weather-related killer in the U.S., and the first such event of the season can be particularly dangerous since people are not yet accustomed to such high temperatures.
North Carolina researchers warned in a new study that the invasive spotted lanternfly could soon spread across the United States and put California's wine grapes at risk.
Why it matters: The invasive species destroy fruit and crops, making them a huge economic problem for growers and farmers.
Gina McCarthy, President Biden's top domestic climate adviser, said tech companies should do more to prevent the spread of inaccurate information about climate change and clean energy.
Driving the news: "The tech companies have to stop allowing specific individuals over and over again to spread disinformation," she told Axios' Alexi McCammond at a virtual event that aired Thursday.
The Biden administration floated draft regulations on Thursday that would set standards for federally financed EV charging stations as officials aim to spur a large national buildout.
The big picture: The minimum standards aim to ensure chargers are reliable and have similar payment systems, charging speeds, pricing and other consistent features.
A new International Monetary Fund study finds huge economic benefits from phasing out coal globally even under somewhat modest estimates of the monetary damages from carbon emissions.
Why it matters: Coal is the largest global source of CO2 and coal-fired power generation reached new records last year. The study adds to literature showing that failure to stem greenhouse gases is far more expensive than investments in accelerating clean energy.
Scientists have found microplastics in freshly fallen Antarctic snow for the first time.
Why it matters: Researchers from New Zealand's University of Canterbury discovered tiny plastic particles in all 19 samples taken from sites along the Ross Ice Shelf, per a study published Wednesday in the science journal The Cryosphere.
