Drought Affects 71% Canada Causing Ecosystem, Economic Losses

Drought conditions are worsening across Canada, with 71% of the country affected as of late July, impacting forests, grasslands, and coastal areas. Despite occasional rainfall, drought remains a compounding issue, with significant below-average precipitation reported, including snowpack levels in British Columbia dropping to as low as 13% of normal. Southwestern Saskatchewan has declared agricultural states of emergency due to receiving less than 25% of typical rainfall. Water scarcity is becoming a critical concern, exacerbated by demands from industries like AI data centers that consume millions of liters of drinking water daily. U.S. President Donald Trump has referred to Canada as a "very large faucet" that might be used to alleviate water shortages in the United States. Additionally, many Canadians lack a legal right to clean water, highlighted by a 2019 B.C. Supreme Court ruling denying residents an inherent right to this resource amid disputes over private logging near water supplies.