| Severe drought conditions have helped fuel the Los Angeles wildfires. But a new study, released Thursday in the journal Nature comes with a warning: Climate change is making catastrophic, multiyear “megadroughts” much worse around the world. Droughts are relative — a drought in normally rainy Seattle, for example, might register as an unusually wet period in a drier climate such as Phoenix, Arizona. But they can throw ecosystems out of whack, sometimes in dangerous ways. “That's what we see right now in California,” said Dirk Nikolaus Karger, a senior researcher at Swiss Federal Institute WSL and a paper author. “Over time, the vegetation dries out, and we have increased fire frequency, and houses burn down. In other areas, we will have agricultural failures.” Read the full story on Bloomberg.com.  A drought-affected corn field in Argentina in November 2023. Photographer: Sebastian Lopez Brach/Bloomberg Biden makes a last-minute bid on drilling limits. The administration advanced a plan to limit oil drilling and infrastructure across more of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, a bid to lock in land protections days before Donald Trump takes office. The EU is aiming to boost use of recycled raw materials. The bloc is looking to improve access to critical raw materials like lithium, cobalt, and copper for its clean energy transition — and sees recycling as a way to boost the region’s competitiveness. Burning Teslas are adding to LA’s toxic pollution. Lithium batteries from Tesla Inc., along with those from other carmakers, have added to the mix of toxic materials requiring specialized removal in the wake of the fires. For weather insights sent straight to your inbox, subscribe to the Weather Watch newsletter. As the blazes in Los Angeles continue to burn, those who have lost their homes are contending with the immediate need for shelter– and difficult questions about whether or not to rebuild in the fire zone. Grist reporter Jake Bittle tells Akshat Rathi how California’s housing market and insurance regulations will shape the recovery. And Nomad Century author Gaia Vince says that in this era of climate instability, everyone should think about how prepared they are to become a climate migrant. Listen now, and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube to get new episodes of Zero every Thursday. | 
