Climate Change Fuels Fires

By Kalia Tan

April 23, 2025

On January 7th, 2025, the Palisades and Eaton fires erupted in Malibu and Los Angeles during a months-long drought influenced by global warming, followed by several smaller fires.

These were the two largest among the seventeen Los Angeles Fires, and were not fully contained until February 2nd, over three weeks later. In that time, they covered over thirty-seven thousand acres of land and destroyed more than fifteen thousand properties, leaving at least twenty-nine fatalities. 

The increased intensity of the fires wasn’t just random, though.

“Because of the drought that occurred in California, you have the ability to start these forest fires, and you have global changes on our planet,” explained Mr. Smith, an Earth & Space Sciences teacher.

The intensity of the fires was heightened by the weather conditions, including a severe drought in recent months and extreme winds that reached up to 100 mph in early January. Following heavy rainfall, the arid conditions left the newly sprouted vegetation dry and reduced local water supplies. Without time to clear out dry vegetation safely, fuel simply piled up, waiting to catch fire. The strong winds only compounded the effect of the drought, fanning the flames. The wind supplied large amounts of oxygen to the fire and pushed it toward other flammable material, causing it to cover a much larger area and becoming more difficult to contain. Together, they created the perfect conditions for wildfires to thrive, resulting in the carnage left behind by the Los Angeles fires.

The past decade has been the warmest in recorded history, with the average global temperature rising 1 degree Celsius (approximately 2 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1850. “July and August have been the hottest on record for the past years, and every year their temperatures seem to be higher,” mentioned Mr. Smith.

 The change was primarily driven by an increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities. Though it might seem minor, even an increase of just half a degree could severely impact the environment as temperatures rise just enough for ice to melt in previously glaciated locations. This creates feedback loops, reduces the habitats of animals, increases the sea level, etc. 

 In the past century, sea levels have risen approximately a foot. However, the pace at which water is rising is increasing, putting settlements along coastlines at risk—and that applies to Long Island too. Sea levels are expected to rise by up to two feet around Long Island in the next quarter-century, and over three feet in one century. Other coastline cities in the U.S.—for example Miami, New Orleans, and San Francisco—are also endangered, along with most island nations and settlements below sea level. 

A more universal impact of global warming is an increased cost of living. Mr. Smith elaborated: “With the overall temperatures increasing, you’re going to have an increased cost for cooling…and just overall discomfort about how hot it is.”

Crops such as rice and corn are highly susceptible to the temperature changes, and more extreme weather events require insurance companies to settle more claims. Health problems related to heat also leave more people in a position requiring professional help. All of these issues cost the common people more—crop shortages increase prices, insurance companies raise premiums, medical assistance is needed more often—and so a financial burden is added to the problems caused by global warming.

Although climate change and its consequences may seem inevitable, there are things that everyone can do to help. Although it might not seem like the decisions of just one person will make a difference, it is because people believed they could make a difference that any changes were made. After all, organizations are composed of many individuals working together. 

“On a local scale, doing things that reduce your carbon footprint is a good thing to be doing—that would be more use of renewable resources, so things like electric cars are going to benefit even on a small scale,” specified Mr. Smith.

 Other things individuals can do to reduce their carbon footprints are using public transportation or carpooling, opting for reusable objects, and supporting carbon offset programs. However, though it is the most well-known, carbon is not the only gas encouraging the greenhouse effect, and as a result, not the only emission that should be reduced. "Most people probably wouldn’t realize that methane is a more important greenhouse gas than carbon,” Mr. Smith noted.

Methane’s chemical structure makes it a greenhouse gas 80 times more effective than carbon at retaining heat. A potent greenhouse gas, it is primarily emitted by large-scale farms, particularly cattle. Despite this, individuals can still reduce methane emissions by doing things such as composting and recycling waste, thereby reducing the amount of it ending up in landfills.

Climate change has had and will continue to have devastating impacts on the world. While everyday people might not be on the front lines battling global warming, our support still helps pave the way for a better future.