Climate Change Rears Its Ugly Head with LA Wildfires

As Los Angeles endured days of relentless fire, shocking the nation, scientists announced a possible explanation for the devastation: 2024 is officially the hottest year on record.

Global temperatures continue to climb, oceans remain abnormally warm, and scientists warn of a perilous new reality—one marked by chaotic floods, storms, and wildfires exacerbated by human-driven climate change.

The infernos consuming the nation’s second-largest city are the latest in a string of increasingly unpredictable and intense weather disasters. Wildfires in Southern California during January’s rainy season are rare, just as floods in Appalachia shocked the country when Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck last autumn.

Fires now burn hotter and spread faster. Storms grow larger, carrying heavier rains. Rising global temperatures bring heatwaves and droughts that not only devastate on their own but also set the stage for secondary disasters, like mudslides when rains return.

Higher-than-normal temperatures have fueled the crisis, drying out plant life and creating perfect conditions for firestorms. Santa Ana winds, which are not directly linked to climate change, have compounded the crisis, gusting at over 100 miles per hour—comparable to a Category 2 hurricane.

Wildfires across the West are becoming more severe. Recent years saw the Camp Fire destroy Paradise, California, and the Marshall Fire devastate Colorado. Beyond the U.S., boreal forests in Canada and redwoods in Oregon have been incinerated by massive blazes.

While politicians point fingers and ask whose to blame; scientists know—it is climate change.