The Guardian

• Heatwave scorching western US ups risk of hazardous fire conditions

  In Oregon and Washington, low humidity and powerful winds have put officials on alert for wildfire spread

  A heatwave scorching the western US region has elevated the risk of hazardous fire conditions particularly in parts of Oregon and Washington, where low humidity and powerful winds have put officials on alert for wildfire spread.

  The National Weather Service has forecast blistering temperatures through early next week that could climb from 110F to 120F across the south-west. In the Pacific north-west, highs reaching into the 90s are expected in the days to come.

  Continue reading...

• Democrats’ ‘climate hushing’ prompts activists to turn up the volume

  Nationwide actions seek to counter view that talking about climate crisis distracts from affordability messaging

  This summer, torrential rains have washed away Texas neighborhoods, dangerous heat has blanketed swaths of the country, and smoke from Canadian wildfires has choked communities as far south as Florida.

  Research makes clear that global warming is making extreme weather events more frequent and severe. Yet the climate crisis has largely disappeared from the political agenda, with many Democrats who once described it as an existential threat now shying away from talking about it.

  Continue reading...

• Water cuts loom as US unveils long-awaited response to Colorado River crisis

  Federal government plan outlines cuts of roughly 40% to California, Arizona and Nevada but fix is likely to be only temporary

  The US government released its anxiously awaited plan for how to manage the Colorado River crisis on Friday, which includes the potential for harsh cuts in water supplied to California, Arizona and Nevada.

  Under the proposal, the so-called lower basin states stand to lose up to 3m acre-feet (3.7bn kiloliters) a year – enough water annually to serve more than 25 million people and roughly 40% of their collective total. The so-called upper basin states – Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming – were spared from mandates restricting their supply.

  Continue reading...

• Huge great white spotted traveling off US and Canada as shark sightings surge

  Contender, largest tagged male great white, heading north as overheating oceans alter range of several shark species

  The largest tagged male great white shark in the Atlantic Ocean has been identified traveling up the US and Canada coastline amid a surge in sightings of sharks that are increasingly shifting their movement patterns due to the overheating of the oceans.

  The great white shark, named Contender, is nearly 14ft long and weighs more than 1,650lbs. The hulking fish has been pinged in several locations off North Carolina and Maine as he headed north for the summer, with Contender’s last known location located off Nova Scotia in Canada on 11 July.

  Continue reading...

• ‘I’m super proud of him’: father of teen lifeguard recounts dramatic ocean rescue

  Ryder Williams, 16, saved a boy from drowning in Santa Cruz, California – the first rescue of his career

  A rookie, teenage California lifeguard who saved a young boy from drowning amid massive waves – while a bystander recorded dramatic video – has spent his whole life preparing for such a moment, according to his father.

  Ryder Williams, 16, said he refused to let go of the child because he knew the boy would almost certainly die if he did, the lifeguard’s father, Shane, recounted on Tuesday, three days after the pulse-pounding rescue.

  Continue reading...