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The dry riverbed of the Llobregat river, showing cracked earth and a single plant
Image: Jordi Boixareux/Zuma/Imago ImagesImage: Jordi Boixareux/Zuma/Imago Images

Heat and drought

Extreme heat, droughts and wildfires are becoming increasingly common as global temperatures rise and rain and snowmelt decline.

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All Content on this topic

Rescuers transfer stranded residents

China: Dam breach forces almost 6,000 people to evacuate

Videos showed water flooding through the breach, overturning trucks, and inundating houses in Hunan province.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 6, 2024
Hitzewelle l China, Shanghai l Ventilatoren

Heat wave in Asia prompts climate change warning

Millions of people across large parts of Asia are facing sweltering temperatures.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 5, 202402:07 min
Fire damage near Oroville, California

California wildfires force thousands to evacuate

Firefighters were working to contain a major blaze near Oroville, north of the state capital Sacramento.
CatastropheJuly 4, 2024
A view of two people in protective clothing who are extinguishing a fire that started as a result of missile and drone attacks from Lebanon into Israel

Israelis near Lebanese border fear fires and full-scale war

Israeli firefighters and civilians report mounting cross-border strikes between the IDF and the Hezbollah militia.
ConflictsJuly 3, 202403:30 min
Children play near stagnant pools of water in Lilanda township in Lusaka, Zambia, Saturday March 9, 2024.

World Bank stamps $208 million Zambia grant to face drought

The sum was granted to help the African nation address the social and economic impact of drought.
CatastropheJuly 2, 2024
A wildfire in the Amazon rainforest

Brazil's Amazon sees worst 6 months of wildfires in 20 years

Climate change has caused parts of the Amazon to become drier and more prone to fires.
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 2, 2024
A man carries a bicycle as he walks next to buildings destroyed in an Israeli strike, past two large stagnant puddles of water

Gaza water shortage raises health risks

After months of bombardment, Gaza is facing a crippling water crisis affecting a growing number of displaced people.
Human RightsJuly 1, 202402:09 min
People plant trees on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan

Africa's Great Green Wall struggles to halt desertification

Billions have been poured into the Green Wall project to stop land degradation but little progress has been made.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 29, 202403:11 min
DW "Eco Africa" Sendungslogo mit Partnerlogos (Composite)

Eco Africa — The Environment Magazine

From beekeeping in Uganda to using worms to make compost in Ethiopia – the many benefits of working with nature.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 28, 202426:04 min
A hiker seen from behind, walking along a mountainous trail offering no shade

Heat wave in Greece claims more tourist lives

This June is set to be the hottest ever recorded in Greece. Authorities are warning tourists to take precautions.
ClimateJune 26, 2024
Barcelona Spain seen from a high angle with a view of the sunrise city skyline from Bunkers del Carmel

How Spain's tourism industry is dealing with drought

Amid its worst drought in centuries, Barcelona's vital tourism industry is being reshaped by water-saving technology.
BusinessJune 26, 2024
Two fire fighters beside roaring orange flames

Wildfires: Is Europe doing enough to prevent them?

Climate change is fueling more frequent and intense fires across Europe. What is being done to prepare the continent?
Nature and EnvironmentJune 25, 2024
Benin | Fotoreportage Marco Simoncelli aus Porga

Malian green entrepreneur fights desertification

Mali is facing a desertification crisis that threatens the livelihood of its citizens.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 24, 202401:39 min
An early evening view of boats and yachts anchored at the Greek island of Hydra

Greece: 13 arrested after yacht fireworks spark wildfire

The blaze burnt the only pine forest on the island of Hydra.
CatastropheJune 22, 2024
Tourists stand in line hoping to get information about when ferries will be able to dock on Capri again

Italy: Capri mayor blocks tourists amid water shortage

Residents and tourists with hotel reservations are allowed to be on the island, all others have been turned away.
TravelJune 22, 2024
On the border with Mexico, the heat has turned deadly for migrants attempting to cross into the US.

Heat wave turns deadly for migrants at US border

On the border with Mexico, the heat has turned deadly for migrants attempting to cross into the US.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 21, 202401:58 min
Muslim pilgrims use umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun as they arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj,

Who or what is responsible for Hajj deaths?

Are the authorities, the weather or gate-crashers to blame for the high death toll at the hajj in Saudi Arabia?
ReligionJune 21, 2024
A wildfire burning overnight in Diyarbakir, Turkey

Wildfires hit areas of southeastern Turkey, deaths reported

Authorities say at least five people have been killed by wildfires in southeastern parts. Dozens more have been injured.
CatastropheJune 21, 2024
An aerial view shows Mecca's Grand Mosque with the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, with many people

Hajj in Saudi Arabia: Extreme heat in Mecca

Extreme temperatures claimed hundreds of lives during the Hajj, turning the pilgrimage into a drama for many families.
ReligionJune 21, 20247 images
Visitors and tourists at the famous Grand Canyon in the US state of Arizona in the USA

Wildfires across US trigger 'heat dome' phenomenon

Authorities have issued heat warnings for approximately 70 million Americans as temperatures soar across the US.
CatastropheJune 19, 202402:01 min
A dried up reservoir is seen from above

Iran's water crisis leads to alarming ground collapse

A drought in Iran is causing the ground to subside, threatening Tehran and hundreds of other towns.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 19, 2024
Woods in Brazil with a massive smoke cloud behind them

Climate change increases wildfire risk in Brazil

In the wake of heavy floods, Brazil is now facing massive wildfires in the country's Pantanal region.
ClimateJune 18, 202402:39 min
A group of young people stand on a stage holding certificates

Young Africans join the global fight against desertification

Young African activists are fighting desertification. They met other change-makers in Bonn, Germany.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 18, 202401:22 min
Water of the Katse Dam in the green Maluti-Mountains in Lesotho

Lesotho's water: Will villagers be compensated?

Experts want revenue from the sale of water to compensate villagers for their resettlement.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 17, 2024
A drone view shows a smoke from a fire rising into the air as trees burn amongst vegetation in the Pantanal

Brazil: Wildfires devastate Pantanal wetlands

Wildfires are raging through Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland. Slash-and-burn is the suspected cause.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 16, 20248 images
DW Tomorrow Today Sendungslogo Composite

Tomorrow Today – The Science Show

Technologies of the future. Can we prepare better for extreme weather with help from satellites, sensors and AI?
ScienceJune 14, 202426:06 min
DW Eco India (Sendungslogo)

Fighting for our forests

Reforestation success in Tamil Nadu. Fire teams in Spain prevent wildfires. A Great Green Wall to protect Delhi. Farmers
Nature and EnvironmentJune 14, 202426:04 min
Tourists with an umbrella walk in front of the Parthenon at the ancient Acropolis in central Athens, Wednesday, June 12, 2024.

Greece: Heat forces Acropolis closure for 2nd straight day

The UNESCO-listed site, situated atop a hill with no shade available, was closed from noon until 5 p.m. local time.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 13, 2024
A boy jumps from a staircase into the Bosporus

Greece, Turkey feeling the heat as temperatures soar

It's getting hot in Southern Europe, leading to school closures and fears of potential forest fires.
LifestyleJune 13, 20247 images
A 3D computer graphic of the Earth and the moon, showing North America at night

Can Earth be saved by its digital twin?

What exactly will climate change do to your city? The EU has created a digital twin of the Earth to help find answers.
Digital WorldJune 13, 202403:51 min
A woman pours water on her head after filling her containers with drinking water from a municipal tanker on a hot summer day in New Delhi, India, May 21, 2024

India: Heat waves pose greater risks for Dalits

The heat stress in India is not shared equally. Historically marginalized Dalits are at greater risk.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 12, 2024
The scene of forest fires in the Pantanal wetland in Porto Jofre, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, on November 13, 2023.

Brazil: Wildfires in world's largest wetland surge tenfold

Local farmers helplessly watch as wild animals and their livelihoods are consumed by the fires in the Pantanal wetland.
ClimateJune 12, 202401:37 min
A man walks through a park in Sacramento , shirtless, under the blazing sun

Historic heat wave hits United States, breaking records

Even places like Las Vegas and Death Valley have never seen such high temperatures so early in the year.
ClimateJune 10, 20248 images
Doku | Benin - Flucht vor der Dürre

Nomads of Benin - Driven away by drought

Boubé is a nomad. He belongs to a Beninese pastoralist tribe called the Fulani.
ClimateJune 8, 202426:06 min
An Indian worker takes a bath under a public tap on a scorching hot afternoon

How tech can help us to fight heat waves

Heat waves are increasingly scorching the globe, causing half a million deaths each year. Tech might be able to help.
TechnologyJune 6, 202403:50 min
An elderly farmer stands in a dry rice field

Rice farmers in Philippines battle drought

The El Nino weather pattern has led to significant agricultural losses, with rice farmers struggling to make ends meet.
Food SecurityJune 6, 202401:29 min
A man carrying a solar panel at a market in Karachi, Pakistan

What's behind Pakistan's solar energy boom?

Electricity in Pakistan is costly and unreliable. Could turning to solar power help residents overcome these challenges?
Nature and EnvironmentJune 5, 202403:29 min
Tansania Esel als Wasserträger in Dar es Salaam

Tanzania: Using donkeys to deliver water in Dar es Salaam

Acute water shortage in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's economic capital, is pushing communities to their limits.
SocietyJune 5, 202401:29 min
An Iraqi vendor offers tomatoes in Baghdad.

How high will 'heatflation' take Middle East food prices?

Extreme heat raises food prices in a phenomenon known as "heatflation." In the Middle East, prices will be even higher.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 4, 2024
A man carries a plastic bucket across the cracked bed of a parched dried-up pond in Vietnam's southern Ben Tre province

Climate finance: Preparations for UN climate talks kick off

Negotiators are laying the groundwork for a new climate finance goal ahead of the COP 29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.
ClimateJune 3, 2024
A boy stands on dry and cracked ground

Climate change impacts on hydropower in the Middle East

Through Turkey, Syria and Iraq, the Euphrates-Tigris basin is suffering both water stress and a hydropower deficit.
ClimateMay 31, 2024
Experts warn a heat wave in India is a threat to human health, as temperatures top 45 degrees Celsius.

India swelters as heat reaches dangerous levels

Experts warn a heat wave in India is a threat to human health, as temperatures top 45 degrees Celsius.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 30, 202402:06 min
People seen covering head and face with cloth to protect from heat wave on a hot summer day at Government Girls College sector-14, on May 26 in Gurugram, India.

India heat wave: Delhi posts national record temperature

A new Indian heat record was recorded on Wednesday as temperatures in the capital, Delhi, passed 52 degrees Celsius.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 29, 2024
A woman, leaning out of a train window, receives water on her head to cool off

Pakistan bears brunt of climate change with latest heat wave

Temperatures in Pakistan's southern Sindh province have risen above 52 degrees Celsius.
ClimateMay 29, 202402:13 min
A man is holding a hose spraying water over another man's head

India: Delhi heat wave has residents struggling

Arrangements have been made at hospitals to treat patients suffering from issues such as exhaustion and stroke.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 27, 2024
Two people paddle through floodwaters in a canoe

Is climate change behind all extreme weather events?

From extreme heat to cyclones and flooding, what is causing extreme weather across the world?
Nature and EnvironmentMay 27, 2024
In Lahore, youngsters are trying to tackle the heat wave by swimming in a local canal

Pakistan in the grip of a blazing heat wave

After experiencing its wettest April in more than 60 years, Pakistan is now battling extremely hot temperatures.
ClimateMay 24, 202402:30 min
Man stands under an outdoor fountain with water running over his head and upper body

India undergoes heat wave during parliamentary elections

Schools are closed, and voter turnout is falling as an extreme heat has overtaken northwest India.
ClimateMay 24, 20248 images
DW "Global Us" Sendungslogo Composite

How should we deal with invasive species? Eat them?

Invasive species are a global problem. Introduced on purpose or by mistake, they often cause a lot of damage.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 24, 202426:04 min
People protect themselves from the sun with an umbrella as they walk during a heat wave hitting the country in Guadalajara, Jalisco State, Mexico

Mexico: Heat wave kills several people, hotter days ahead

The so-called "heat dome" has trapped hot air, causing temperatures to soar to 45 degrees Celsius in some areas.
ClimateMay 24, 2024