A Firm Bought Up Land in a Tiny Arizona Town—Then Sold Its Water to a Faraway Suburb
Water from the Colorado River diverted through the Central Arizona Project fills an irrigation canal.Matt York / AP Images This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. One of the biggest battles over Colorado River water is being staged in one of the west’s smallest rural enclaves.…
A New California Bill Aims to Ban Paraquat. Yep, That Toxic Stuff Is Still Around.
Harvesting almonds in Livingston, California.Dave Getzschman/Merced Sun-Star/AP Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.When Americans of a certain age hear the word “paraquat,” the first thing that might leap to mind is Mexican weed. That’s because, in the late 1970s, the United States government thought…
Vanishing Ants, Waning Forests, and Fading Hope for Brazil’s Amazon
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at a ceremony marking one year since the attacks on the presidential palace, the National Congress, and the Supreme Court.Ton Molina/NurPhoto/Zuma This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. What a difference a year makes in the Brazilian Amazon. At the start of…
New Year, Same Congress: Politicians Block Livestock Emission Reporting Rules
Alexander Polegenko/TASS/Zuma This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Anyone feeling compelled to look into a bill passed recently by the House of Representatives will see some familiar language. It may seem wonky—the concern of agriculture or climate policy geeks. But the language relates to one of…
US Groundwater Is Being Shipped Overseas
Alfalfa hay is a water-intensive crop, and exporting it is equivalent to exporting precious groundwater.Jack Richardson Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.Water is life. It’s also big business. In our November + December 2023 issue, Mother Jones dives into the West’s deepening water crisis—and…
Federal Agents Investigate Sugar Exporter Over Allegations of Forced Labor
Residents of a Central Romana batey in 2021.Pedro Farais-Nardi Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.The Americans pulling into the luxury Caribbean resort town of Juan Dolio could have easily passed as tourists. Dressed in jeans and tennis shoes, they set up at a hotel…