From deadly wildfires to shrinking ice sheets, signs of climate change are everywhere. These photos show the impact of a climate disaster, all of which become more dangerous as global temperatures warm. Behind each photo are hundreds to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billion Billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions to billions of dollars in life- For example, water infections after floods, power outages after heavy storms, and respiratory diseases exacerbated by smoky air.
Wildfire sparks in the mountains of Los Angeles
In January 2025, deadly wildfires rage on hills around Los Angeles, consuming more than 16,000 buildings and killing at least 28 people.
Wildfire risks are rising in Southern California, and many climate changes in the western United States have made wildfires bigger and stronger. A study attributable to the world weather is an organization that studies how climate change affects weather events, reporting climate change has caused fires by 35%.
These photos show the Getty Villa Museum in the Palisade area of Los Angeles during a typical day in 2016 and during a 2025 wildfire.
read: Wildfires and climate change: What is the connection?
Hurricane Ian leaves a path of destruction on Sanibel Island, Florida
Hurricane Ian made a landfall in southwestern Florida in late September 2022. The storm killed 149 people in Florida, causing an estimated $119.6 billion in damages.
Climate change makes hurricanes even more dangerous. A U.S. Department of Energy Research report said climate change increased extreme rainfall by 18% on Hurricane Ian, “far more than expected.”
The satellite image below shows Ian's break into Sanibel Island, Florida before and after Ian's intrusion.
read: How climate change makes hurricanes more dangerous
Visible melting of Greenland ice sheet
Greenland is home to the world's second largest ice cube, the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Arctic warms faster than anyone else, and the ice sheet is melting as the ice age warms.
If the entire ice sheet melts into the ocean, global sea levels will rise by 7.2 meters (24 feet). Coastal cities with sea levels rise only three meters (10 feet), such as Miami and Mumbai underwater cities.
These satellite images show how the northern part of the ice sheet melted and weakened between 1987 and 2019. In the 2019 image, blue fusion water shows the fusion melted on the ice surface. According to NASA, in late July 2019, glaciers covered a total of nearly 1 million square kilometers (386,000 square miles). 100,000 square miles larger than Texas.
Read: Sea level rise, explains
Smoke-blocking New York City with Canadian wildfires burning
In the summer of 2023, a record wildfire burned 17 million hectares (42 million acres) of Canadian forests. The smoke from the fire reached Europe.
In early June 2023, more than 100 million people in the United States lived in areas with poor air quality alerts due to smoke. NYC is shrouded in orange fog, and it is the worst air quality in any city in the world.
The photos below show the Statue of Liberty on sunny days in 2019 and the smoky day on June 7, 2023.
Read: Air Quality Resources
Lake Mead in the large Morgan in the western United States
The Colorado River Basin has been experiencing severe droughts since 2000. Climate change makes drought worse, frequent, and already in the Southwest where the United States is
Lake Mead is a reservoir composed of the Hoover Dam near Las Vegas, providing water, hydropower and recreational opportunities for the area. Between 2001 and 2015, the reservoir level dropped by 120 feet. The following figure shows the beginning and end of the period.
The Southwest has continued to struggle with drought in the past decade since 2015. In late July 2022, Lake Mead rose to its lowest water level since the reservoir was filled. Despite the winter of 2024 (as of March 2025), large rainfall in the southwest is still underway.
read: Climate change and drought: What is the connection?
Climate action can save lives
Although climate change makes extreme weather even more dangerous, there are many things people and communities can prepare for. Every global warming avoided by reducing pollution will help.
To figure out how to reduce contamination, check out our Solution Center.
For extreme weather preparation and adaptation tips, check out our extreme weather center.
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