Climate Change

From deadly wildfires to choking dust storms to decimated crop harvests, this year’s drought has left its mark across the country. For the hardest hit areas, such as the Great Plains, recovering from the far-reaching impacts of this historically dry year won’t be easy.

The Farm Bill, which sets important policy on matters such as crop insurance and SNAP benefits, is up for renewal next year. The results of the midterm elections may not shed much light on how that legislation will end up.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is implementing a new strategy to focus on conservation efforts around the globe. Garden scientists say a large part of the research will go into improving forest ecosystems threatened by climate change.

The drought affecting the Midwest has revealed an extra 1,100 feet to a cave in the Missouri Ozarks at Smallin Cave, a registered National Historic Place.

Repeated flooding in some communities pushed residents to move to higher ground. But getting the resources and buy-in isn't easy, even in towns where residents have been flooded again and again.

Much of the Mississippi River basin is getting wetter, according to a new analysis of federal data, while rainfall events are becoming more intense. At the same time, the western half of the U.S. is increasingly prone to drought.

Emily Connor is a bird watcher, an environmental educator, and a frontline witness to the effects of climate change. The threat of severe flooding is endangering the habitat at her bird sanctuary, and that’s making her work all the more urgent.

Alvin Cooper is struggling to recover after his home was flooded from torrential rains in late July of this year. He lives in a floodplain area that is especially vulnerable to climate change because it lacks government attention. He is trying to recover but can’t do it alone.

Brent Jaimes, who has a blood disorder that affects the nervous system, was able to take his wheelchair and walker when he was evacuated by boat during flooding. His story examines issues that individuals with disabilities might encounter in the face of a natural disaster.

Foodscaper Matt Lebon runs an edible landscaping business where he introduces the community to the many benefits of growing native plants in your backyard. In the face of climate change, he believes that understanding biodiversity is the key to resilience.