Humanity has used up nature's entire budget for 2026, according to the Global Footprint Network. Earth Overshoot Day falls on August 15 this year, meaning people are now consuming resources faster than the planet can renew them. The date has moved earlier over the decades, though the pace has slowed in recent years. Carbon emissions account for more than half of the ecological footprint. Researchers say shifting food systems, transport and energy use could push the date back by weeks. The group tracks the day each year to show how demand compares with nature's supply.
Wildfires near Spokane, Washington, have forced thousands of people from their homes, but fire crews are finally gaining ground. The Old Trails Fire has burned through neighborhoods on the city's edge, destroying homes and sending thick smoke across the region. Evacuation orders have covered entire communities, and shelters are housing families who left with little more than what they could carry. After days of hot, dry wind, calmer weather has helped firefighters build containment lines. Officials warned that the fire is not out and that residents should stay alert. The blaze is part of a broader wildfire season that has hit the US West, Canada, and other countries. Climate researchers say hotter, drier conditions are making such fires more common and harder to fight.
Forecasters have officially declared that El Nino conditions are now in place across the tropical Pacific, and scientists say this event could be a strong one. El Nino warms the surface of the Pacific Ocean and shifts weather patterns around the globe, bringing drought to parts of Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Amazon while raising flood risk in other regions. Researchers warn the pattern could push the Amazon rainforest toward crisis, add to ocean warming, and stress coral reefs and fish populations. Past events have triggered mass seabird die-offs along South America's coast. Governments and aid agencies are already preparing for extreme weather, with farmers urged to adjust planting and water managers reviewing supplies.
El Niño conditions are under way in the Pacific Ocean and are strengthening rapidly, according to forecasters at NOAA and the World Meteorological Organization. NOAA gives a 63 percent chance that sea surface temperatures will rise 2 degrees Celsius or more above average between November 2026 and January 2027, which would rank as a very strong or super El Niño. The last super event was in 2015-2016. Forecasters expect drought, heavy rainfall, heatwaves and marine heatwaves in different parts of the world. Scientists say the event is arriving in a world already much warmer than average, which could amplify its effects.
Arctic sea ice reached its lowest winter maximum on record this year, scientists reported. The ice cover stopped growing in March at a smaller size than in any winter since satellite records began in 1979. This year's peak was about 1.4 million square kilometers below the recent average, roughly the size of Alaska. The low ice year follows months of record warmth, with global oceans logging their hottest July on record and Arctic air temperatures running far above normal. Scientists say warm ocean water stored during summer is slowing the growth of new ice. The loss of sea ice accelerates warming, because open water absorbs more heat than reflective ice, and it threatens Arctic wildlife and coastal communities.
British Columbia has declared a state of emergency after the Bald Range wildfire doubled in size and forced about 20,000 people to flee. The fire, west of the Okanagan region, has spread over more than 100 square kilometers and is still listed as out of control. Officials called the blaze explosive, with hot, dry weather and strong winds driving the flames. Evacuation orders cover several communities, and emergency shelters have opened. Fire crews from across the province are being moved to the area. The wildfire is part of a severe season across western Canada.
Gray whale carcasses are washing up along the U.S. West Coast at record rates, with 146 strandings counted in the first half of 2026 compared with an annual average of 43 between 2006 and 2023. Researchers estimate 2,500 to 8,000 gray whales died in 2025 and 2026, meeting the criteria for a “catastrophic mortality event.” Climate change is melting sea ice and depleting the tiny crustaceans the whales feed on, and most examined carcasses show signs of starvation. Conservation groups are urging the government to relist the species under the Endangered Species Act.
Massive wildfires in France and Spain have forced around 330,000 people from their homes, officials said, as another heat wave builds over western Europe. The blazes, driven by drought and strong winds, are burning across southwestern France and northern Spain, destroying homes and reaching the outskirts of several towns. Thousands of firefighters are battling the flames with support from planes and helicopters, and new evacuation orders were issued as winds picked up. Scientists say climate change is making heat waves and fire weather more frequent and more intense across the Mediterranean. The fires are among the largest in the region in years, and authorities warn that conditions could worsen before they improve.
Massive wildfires in France and Spain have forced about 330,000 people from their homes as another heat wave builds over southern Europe. New evacuation orders were issued in southwestern France, where flames have consumed thousands of hectares. Austria recorded its highest temperature on record, and Hungary moved to curb power use as the heat strained the grid. Firefighters from across Europe have joined the response, with water-dropping aircraft working through the day. Scientists say hotter, drier summers driven by climate change are making fire seasons longer and more destructive. Evacuation centers are sheltering thousands of families.
Arctic sea ice reached its lowest winter maximum on record this year, scientists said, as extreme heat continued to smash milestones around the planet. Thin winter ice melts faster in summer and leaves more open water, which absorbs more heat and warms the region further. The shrinking ice threatens polar bears, seals, and Arctic communities, while opening shipping routes earlier each year. The Arctic warms about four times faster than the global average, and melting ice sheets in Greenland are raising sea levels worldwide. Climate researchers said the record low matches what models predicted decades ago and that cutting greenhouse gas emissions remains the only way to slow the decline.