Fatal floods hit Morocco and Bolivia

By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello,

It's yet another devastating start to the week as floods have unleashed a wave of chaos across Morocco and Bolivia. Heavy rains have also been lashing parts of the United States and the United Kingdom.

At least 37 people have been killed in flash floods triggered by torrential rains in Morocco's Atlantic coastal province of Safi, Moroccan authorities said.

One hour of heavy rain was enough to flood homes and shops in the old town of Safi, sweeping away cars and cutting off many roads in surrounding areas, local authorities reported.

Fourteen people were still receiving medical care, including two who were in intensive care, the authorities said.

Also on my radar today:

Aerial view shows flooded areas after torrential rain left communities isolated, in Santa Cruz region, Bolivia. Vice Ministry of Civil Defense/Handout via REUTERS

In Bolivia, the death toll from floods triggered by an overflowing river in the eastern Santa Cruz region has reached 20 and is expected to rise as rescue teams reach previously inaccessible areas, Deputy Civil Defense Minister Alfredo Troche said.

Authorities said at least two dozen people remain missing and hundreds of families have been left without shelter following days of intense rainfall.

Troche told state broadcaster Bolivia TV that at least 300 people had been rescued by helicopter, and some 2,100 families were so far affected around the River Pirai.

Heavy rains began early on Saturday, according to the National Meteorology and Hydrology Service.

Meteorologists have warned about the combined effects of El Nino and La Nina weather patterns, which are generating heavier rainfall in the Amazon basin.

Meanwhile, days of heavy rain led to a flash flood warning and evacuation orders in Washington state, authorities said.

King County's director of emergency management Brendan McCluskey told local media that officials were closely monitoring the Desimone Levee in Tukwila along the Green River, about five miles south of downtown Seattle, where a car-sized chunk of the levee was washed away by floodwaters.

Authorities have been concerned about levee breaches for days around the state, as torrential downpours hit a wide swath of the Pacific Northwest.

Elsewhere, the UK government has issued 12 flood warnings and 85 flood alerts after heavy rain caused travel disruption and flooding in Wales and parts of England. Last month, Storm Claudia caused severe flooding in the town of Monmouth and the surrounding areas in southeastern Wales.

This comes as scientists from the World Weather Attribution conducted a study of the recent wave of deadly storms that devastated Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, which they said were "supercharged" by higher sea temperatures and made worse by rapid deforestation.

As a reader of our free Sustainable Switch newsletter, you're only seeing part of the story. Reuters subscribers unlock complete climate analysis, special reports on the biggest news developments, and more in-depth data that never appears in this newsletter. Become a subscriber here to get the complete picture. 

Displaced Palestinians ride a donkey-drawn cart on a rain-flooded street in Gaza City. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

During this winter holiday season, Dana Gunders, president of U.S.-based nonprofit ReFED and recipient of the 2025 Heinz Award for the Environment, shares her thoughts on the overlooked impact of the global food waste crisis on climate change:

 "As we plan our festive winter holiday meals, here are some numbers that should give us all pause.

"Every day, over one billion meals go uneaten worldwide. In the U.S. alone, greenhouse gas emissions from food waste in landfills match the annual output of 54 million cars.

"This past Thanksgiving, an estimated $550 million worth of food in the U.S. was discarded – equivalent to 267 million meals that could have fed the hungry.

"To create this waste, we used 39 billion gallons of water, enough to fill 59,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.  

"Sadly, this is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the environmental impact of food waste globally.

"Yet this crisis is largely preventable. Impactful solutions exist across the entire supply chain – from secondary markets that resell surplus produce to digital platforms offering discounts on excess food supplies. 

"Simple behavior changes such as buying less and composting can also make a big difference.

 "If we are serious about creating a resilient food system and achieving climate goals, both businesses and consumers must act now. Reducing food waste is one of the most powerful, scalable ways to cut emissions and build a more sustainable future."

Komie Hossini of Bayer examines test plots of camelina, a drought resistant oilseed, at his company's research farm near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. REUTERS/Ed White

In keeping with the topic of food and climate change, after a season of flooding followed by a long drought, Canadian farmer Simon Ellis expected "catastrophic failure" in this year's crop on his farm in Wawanesa, Manitoba.

Instead, Ellis embraced climate adaptation strategies and reaped the rewards.

Click here to learn more about how Ellis and other Canadian farmers were able to fight off climate change and produce better crops despite hotter and drier conditions.

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