Earlier this month on January 7, 2025, a string of fires broke out in the Los Angeles area, burning through parts of the city and leaving destruction in its wake to a city that has been experiencing a severe drought.
As of January 10, ten people have been killed due to the fires, with over 1,300 structures having been destroyed, causing nearly 200,000 people to evacuate their homes. Property losses are expected to end up costing around 8 billion dollars, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in recent history, according to the BBC.
Junior Natalia Duggan has family that lives in California, but not in the Orange County area. She stated that “I’m not too worried about them. I know they will be safe. They have had some experiences with fires in the past, but nothing anything super close to them.”
While there is no current definitive source of the start of the fires, some are suspecting that climate change has increased the likelihood of fires in the Southern California area. The region experienced a warm summer in 2024 with little rain, the perfect environment for fires to begin spreading. The fires in the area have prompted discussions about what to do regarding the effects of climate change, which Americans are beginning to witness firsthand. Research scientist Jon Keeley stated in an interview with Mother Jones reporter Jackie Flynn Mogensen that “climate change is exacerbating our fire regime and affecting fires, making them potentially worse.”
“Climate change affects so much,” freshman Eva Smith said. “I learned that some countries are running out of water because they overuse it and they aren’t doing anything about it. I hope nothing like that happens in Iowa.”
In Iowa, the effects of climate change are already appearing. The state has witnessed an increase in precipitation and winter temperatures have gotten warmer, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The humidity in Iowa has also risen in the past decades, which “now has 13 percent more atmospheric moisture than 35 years ago.” These changes in the state’s environment will continue to be exacerbated if nothing substantial is done to prevent it.
“I wish more students understood the affects climate change and global warming can have on our planet,” senior Keegan Johnson said. “More people will continue to be harmed if we don’t do anything about it. We’re already seeing it in California.” Now, only time will reveal the true effects of these wildfires for the people in California.
