In an August 25th report for the Union of Concerned Scientists’ The Equation, Senior Scientist Carly Phillips reports that Danger Season has arrived in full force. “From record-breaking heatwaves to devastating wildfires…the harms…have been inescapable across the western US, particularly when it comes to water,” she writes. Most urgent is the role of the scientific community in holding the fossil fuel industry (and the federal administration that supports it) accountable.
What can scientists do? Phillips suggests:
- Advance legally-relevant research.
- Stand up for science and democracy.
- Tell your Congressperson: No immunity for Big Oil.
“Climate change is adding pressure to an already precarious situation, threatening the livelihoods, ecosystems, and economy of the region. The events of 2026 show the harms that climate change is already inflicting and the threat that unchecked emissions pose to our future.
First, an extreme March heatwave decimated snowpack, meaning that a huge amount of water melted earlier than usual, and now is not available for the growing season. Of the five major basins in the region, three saw the lowest April 1st snowpack ever recorded , the time of year when snow accumulation historically peaks.
A recently published paper dubbed these heat events ‘snow-eaters’ because of how they decimate snowpack The study also showed that these heatwaves have increased in frequency and intensity since the mid-1880s. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the global authority on consensus climate science, concluded with virtual certainty that extreme heat events are increasing in frequency and intensity due to climate change, suggesting that heat events which pose major threats to water availability will continue to occur into the future.”
Read the article in full.