The deluge capped a summer of extreme climate events, from deadly heatwaves to wildfires. We must take action now

For millennia, the high peaks of the Himalayas were held together by an invisible, frozen cement – permafrost and glacial ice that bound ancient rock into seemingly unshakable fortresses. But as the planet continues to warm, this alpine glue is liquefying.

The glacial collapse and deluge in Nepal and Tibet was not a freak weather event; it was the structural failure of a mountain itself, nature’s latest commentary on the deadly consequences of human-caused planetary warming. And it was the exclamation point on a summer of extremes, illustrating with a sole unnatural disaster the apocalyptic future that lies in store if we fail to take dramatic climate action.

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© Photograph: Prabin Ranabhat/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Prabin Ranabhat/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Prabin Ranabhat/AFP/Getty Images

Phantom Ranch, the only lodge within the Grand Canyon, has drawn adventurers and dignitaries, including Theodore Roosevelt, for more than a century.

© Craig Sanderson, via Associated Press

Plaskett fire has swept through more than 5,900 acres in Monterey county and remains un-contained, says Cal Fire

A fire in California’s Big Sur region doubled in size overnight, forcing the evacuation of nearby residents, in a coastal region where firefighters have battled another blaze for weeks.

The Plaskett fire, which sparked on Tuesday, had swept through more than 5,900 acres (2,400 hectares) in Monterey county as of Friday, and remained un-contained, according to Cal Fire. Its cause is under investigation.

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© Photograph: Ethan Swope/AP

© Photograph: Ethan Swope/AP

© Photograph: Ethan Swope/AP

Plaskett fire has swept through more than 5,900 acres in Monterey county and remains un-contained, says Cal Fire

A fire in California’s Big Sur region doubled in size overnight, forcing the evacuation of nearby residents, in a coastal region where firefighters have battled another blaze for weeks.

The Plaskett fire, which sparked on Tuesday, had swept through more than 5,900 acres (2,400 hectares) in Monterey county as of Friday, and remained un-contained, according to Cal Fire. Its cause is under investigation.

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© Photograph: Ethan Swope/AP

© Photograph: Ethan Swope/AP

© Photograph: Ethan Swope/AP

Nearly 600 days after the devastating 2025 fires, thousands of Los Angeles residents are still waiting for more than $15bn in federal funds to rebuild their communities

As thousands of residents in Spokane, Washington, begin to grapple with a long recovery after a destructive set of blazes that consumed hundreds of homes in the state’s second most populated city this month, victims of the Los Angeles firestorm broke a grim record – they have faced the longest delay in modern history for federal aid.

Nearly 600 days since a historic firestorm roared into communities across Los Angeles, reducing more than 16,000 structures to ash and toxic debris, the Trump administration has failed to appropriate more than $15bn in long-term recovery funds that are crucial to rebuilding. The delay in supplying the badly needed funds is months longer than the last record set when victims of the Maui fires had to wait 500 days to receive the support, LAist noted this week.

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© Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters

© Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters

© Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters

Just over three years ago, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century devastated the Hawaiian island of Maui. New research suggests the toll of the disaster may be far greater than the lives lost and property burned. Stephanie Sy reports on a landmark study aiming to track how wildfires continue to affect survivors' health long after the flames are gone.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking state lawmakers to shield utilities from financial trouble if their equipment sparks a wildfire by limiting the amount they have to pay victims and attorneys.

At least two pharmacies recalled glutathione in August due to bacterial contamination.

As the risk of ‘fire weather’ increases, humans are learning to adapt to an ominous new normal

A wildfire that exploded in size in Reno, Nevada, over the weekend has forced authorities to urge more than 90,000 residents to leave their neighborhoods.

A summer of record-breaking heatwaves has turned the capital into a tinderbox

Blaze likened to a ‘bomb going off’ as fast-moving flames force 20,000 to flee homes

An all-female surveillance team patrol the forest to protect their homes and the environment