Axios

The federal government's disaster relief fund is on pace to run out of money at the height of both the hurricane and wildfire seasons, a top official warned this week.

Why it matters: Government funding emergencies aren't new, but the climate crisis has sent the number of costly natural disasters soaring, stretching the Federal Emergency Management Agency thin at the worst time of year.

An expanding, intensifying heat wave prompted the National Weather Service to issue heat alerts for 115 million people on Friday in 15 states, with no letup in sight for some areas.

Why it matters: The heat will topple longstanding records, especially in the Southwest, and the duration of this event that's set to continue well into next week increases public health dangers.

Over 56% of the world's oceans have subtly changed color over the past 20 years and human-caused climate change is likely to blame.

Driving the news: That's according to a new study from scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and National Oceanography Centre in the U.K. that found the phenomena can't be explained by natural variability alone.

The extent of Canada's worst wildfire season on record continued to grow this week after a combination of extreme heat events, unusually dry weather and lightning strikes stoked hundreds of out of control wildfires across the country.

Why it matters: Multiple studies show human-caused climate change is a key driver behind increased wildfire risk and that heat waves are more likely to occur, be more intense and last longer due to this. And the scale and scope of these fires is likely to exacerbate climate change in a positive feedback loop.

Scientists are beginning to understand how sex chromosomes and hormones affect people's risk for certain diseases — and whether the biology behind those differences can be harnessed to improve treatments.

Why it matters: Doctors and scientists have long recognized certain diseases affect men and women differently but that is rarely reflected in the dosage and design of drugs.

El Niño conditions are only slowly gathering strength in the tropical Pacific Ocean, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects the event is likely to peak at a moderate to strong intensity by the fall and winter.

Why it matters: The natural climate cycle is already boosting global average surface temperatures and contributing to unprecedented extreme weather events. These trends are likely to be even more noteworthy into next year.