From deadly wildfires to shrinking ice sheets, the signs of climate change are everywhere. These photos show the effects of climate disasters, all of which are made more dangerous as global temperatures warm. Behind each photo are hundreds to billions of lives affected by the immediate and cascading effects of disaster – like waterborne infections after floods, power outages after major storms, and respiratory illness aggravated by smoky air.
Wildfires spark in Los Angeles’ hills
In January 2025, deadly wildfires raged through the hills surrounding Los Angeles, consuming over 16,000 structures and killing at least 28 people.
The risk of wildfire is rising in Southern California and much of the Western U.S. Climate change is making wildfires larger and more intense. A study by World Weather Attribution, an organization that investigates how weather events are affected by climate change, reported that climate change made the fires 35% more likely to occur.
These photos show the Getty Villa museum in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on a typical day in 2016 and during the 2025 wildfires.
(Image credit: Before photo by kameraworld / Getty Images; After photo by Apu Gomes / Stringer / Getty Images)
Read: Wildfires and climate change: What’s the connection?
Hurricane Ian leaves a path of destruction on Sanibel Island, Florida
Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida in late September 2022. The storm killed 149 people in Florida and caused an estimated $119.6 billion in damage.
Climate change is making hurricanes more dangerous. A U.S. Department of Energy study reported that climate change increased the extreme rainfall from Hurricane Ian by 18%, which was “far in excess of what would be expected.”
The satellite images below show Florida’s Sanibel Island before and after Ian barreled through.
