Key developments
Worst spring drought threatens U.S. crops
The U.S. experienced its worst spring drought on record in April, with more than 60% of the lower 48 under moderate drought or worse and the Southeast peaking at 99.81% affected, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. NOAA said January through March was the driest on record for the continental U.S., and dry soils and streamflows remain entrenched in parts of Alabama, Georgia and northwestern Florida. The drought is threatening wheat in Kansas and vegetables in Georgia, while Florida has already burned about 120,000 acres this year.
Why it matters
The drought is already hitting agriculture and wildfire conditions across multiple states, with potential food-price and supply-chain effects.
Sources & driving stories
TIME · Rebecca Schneid
Time coverageEPA endangerment rollback weakens climate rules
Nature reports that the EPA rescinded the 2009 Endangerment Finding on Feb. 12, with the change effective April 20, 2026, removing the legal basis for regulating six greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act unless it is reversed. The article says the move follows the Supreme Court's 2024 Chevron ruling and, if upheld, could contribute by 2055 to 184,000 premature deaths, 112 million asthma attacks and tens of millions of lost work and school days. It marks a major retreat from federal climate regulation.
Why it matters
The rollback could sharply weaken U.S. greenhouse-gas regulation and shift the climate fight to courts and states.
Sources & driving stories
NATURE
Nature coverageTrump council seeks FEMA overhaul
A Trump-appointed council reviewing FEMA is proposing an overhaul that, Earth.Org says, barely mentions climate while raising the threshold for federal disaster aid and shifting more response responsibility to states and local governments. The draft also would move flood insurance further toward private markets and limit housing aid to homes deemed uninhabitable. Critics say many rural jurisdictions lack the capacity to replace FEMA's emergency-management and training functions.
Why it matters
The proposal could reshape how the U.S. finances and delivers disaster recovery as climate-related losses rise.
Sources & driving stories
EARTH.ORG · Martina Igini
Earth.Org coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Polar bear visits rise with ice-free seasons
Live Science reports that longer ice-free seasons, not human presence or body condition, were the main driver of more polar bear visits to camps in western Hudson Bay.
WORTH NOTING
Australia's autumn stays hot and dry
The Conversation says April was unusually warm and dry across Australia, and the Bureau of Meteorology is signaling below-average May rainfall and a drier-than-normal winter in much of the south.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
How much crop loss will the drought produce?
The record spring drought is already threatening planting and yields, but the size of harvest losses and price effects is still unknown.
OPEN QUESTION
Can states absorb more FEMA responsibilities?
The proposed disaster-response shift assumes local capacity that many rural jurisdictions may not have.