Do you have climate anxiety? Help us report on the mental strain of climate change in Arizona

PHOENIX – Climate anxiety has become an increasingly common term for people worried about the future of our planet because of climate change. We'd like your help to better report on climate anxiety by sharing how climate change impacts your life.

Climate change has altered the natural pattern of droughts, making them more frequent, longer and more severe, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Southwest is experiencing a 23-year megadrought. (File photo by Emma VandenEinde/Cronkite News)

Clouds may steal the sunshine on Super Bowl Sunday

PHOENIX – Signs of the Super Bowl coat the streets of the Phoenix metro area. But despite Phoenix’s sunny reputation, there's a chance travelers will have to deal with rain for the big game.

The State Farm Stadium roof in Glendale will likely be open for Super Bowl LVII, pending weather conditions. (Photo by Dylan Nichols/Cronkite News)

Climate change and drought are muting bright fall colors as we know them

FLAGSTAFF – Visitors travel far and wide to view fall colors in northern Arizona, but climate change and ongoing drought are affecting fall foliage as we know it. The PhenoCam Network, based in Flagstaff, is tracking these changes.

A row of bright yellow aspen trees at Arizona Snowbowl north of Flagstaff show off their fall grandeur on Oct. 22, 2022. (Photo by Payton Major/Cronkite News)

As world leaders meet to discuss climate change, action plans inch forward in Arizona

PHOENIX – As world leaders meet in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to discuss global climate change at COP27, in Arizona initiatives are taking place to help deal with adaptation, heat resiliency and drought.


Heat deaths hit record in Maricopa County, but there are ways to stay safe

PHOENIX – Higher temperatures in Maricopa County have led to a record number of heat-associated deaths, according to a report released this month. Experts say people – visitors and Arizonans alike – should reconsider how to prepare for the heat to stay safe while outdoors.


Iconic Strong Arm was one of many saguaros killed by climate change, deadly bacteria

Climate change is becoming a deadly threat to the iconic saguaro, which is found only in the Sonoran Desert. According to cactus expert William D. Peachey, extreme temperature fluctuations and more severe storms are making saguaros more susceptible to the deadly bacteria Erwinia cacticida.


Tempe plans to reopen long dormant water reclamation plant amid grinding drought

PHOENIX – Tempe plans to use $60 million to reopen the Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility which closed in the aftermath of the Great Recession. The plant will help Tempe collect and recycle water as Arizona struggles with its worst drought in 1,200 years.


Climate tool brings the bad news; advocates hope that brings good outcomes

WASHINGTON - A new online dashboard that aims to give state and local governments the real-time information they need to fight climate change paints a bleak picture for Arizona's future, calling for more heat, more drought and more wildfires.


From heat deaths to worsening allergies, climate change harms health

PHOENIX – Concerns about the impact of the climate crisis on health are driving doctors, nurses, medical students and others to advocate for change. The American Medical Association recently declared climate change a public health crisis and said it would push for more policies meant to limit global warming.


Beavers engineering resistance to onslaught of climate change

BOULDER, Colorado – Across North America, beavers create marshy mosaics to keep themselves safe, but their industriousness also is a powerful tool in fending off the damage of climate change, researchers say. But laws regarding beavers as pests need to be changed, they say.


Climate change threatens fair and safe Winter Olympics in the future

FLAGSTAFF – Twenty-one cities around the world have hosted the Winter Olympics in the past 98 years. But by 2080, only one of these cities may be able to provide the conditions required for high level competition that’s fair and safe.


UArizona’s rainforest in the desert is a testing ground for understanding methane

ORACLE – University of Arizona assistant professor Joost van Haren is leading a research project at the Biosphere 2’s rainforest. He and his team of five student engineers are working to better understand methane emissions from the Amazon rainforest.