Originally published on August 26, 2022, by By Marianne Eppig.

Across half the world—including half the United States—record-breaking droughts, extreme heat, and mega fires exacerbated by climate change have established a “new normal” that challenges the future of development and growth.

Groundwater and surface water vital to communities, agriculture, and ecosystems are drying up. Wildfires devour buildings and homes in increasingly urban areas, where the land has become hot and dry. When the rains finally come, they cannot infiltrate the scorched earth, leading to deadly floods. The frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts and their cascading, interconnected impacts are increasing, and this pattern is expected to continue.