Over the past few decades, the term “climate change” has garnered more and more attention in media and science. With conspiracies and backless claims on the causes of climate change, it can be difficult to ascertain its true effects and impacts and how they have worsened. 2024 provided many examples of the direct, immediate effects of climate change and how it compares to previous ones. 

One of the most notable effects of the climate crisis has been more constant, severe natural disasters. Starting in September 2024, Hurricane Helene was another wide-scale natural disaster, affecting areas of North Carolina and Virginia as a Category 4 hurricane. This tropical storm was followed by a Category 3 Hurricane Milton in October 2024, affecting parts of Florida. Both severe storms represent the larger trend of more intense hurricanes as the ocean temperatures get warmer. These increasing temperatures lead to increased wind speeds, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, along with other climate-related factors. Hurricane activity in general has also increased significantly in the past few decades as more severe tropical storms become more common. 

 In Los Angeles, recent wildfires have sparked nationwide discussion on how climate change may have exacerbated them. The wildfires began in January 2025, and The World Weather Attribution reported that due to Los Angeles’ current climate, there was a 35% increase in the likelihood of wildfires, compared to previous years. Increased dryness, drought and rising temperatures can affect the likelihood of wildfires, all of which are connected with climate change as reported by the US Environmental Protection Agency. 

Climate change is known for its effects on human life and health, including the widely-known effect of global warming. As a result of the warming planet, humans and many living things are more exposed and vulnerable to conditions such as heat stroke and dehydration. The climate also affects the accessibility of food and water sources. Droughts, changing temperatures and water stress lead to the decrease in the ability to get food and water according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Climate change affects many aspects of life, leading to big concerns about the world’s climate in the future. “The rising ocean levels and the natural disasters [have been] getting worse over the past few years, like the California wildfires and the houses in Panama that have been getting taken over by sea levels,” said senior Greta Seyfarth. 

The rising sea levels have caused a global phenomenon, as the ocean threatens to catch up to coastal cities and countries. “There’s land that is disappearing, coastal land, and especially in low elevation countries, they will be sunk, probably in our lifetimes,” said junior Sam Aasen. NASA reports that the United States’ East and Gulf Coasts are highly vulnerable areas, along with areas in Asia and islands around the world. 

In Minnesota, the climate crisis has affected many things. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, floods and extreme weather in Minnesota have increased greatly over the years. Winter temperatures have increased about 4.9 degrees fahrenheit in southern Minnesota and 7.3 degrees in northern Minnesota from 1895 to 2021. Also in Minnesota, the natural environment is not always properly protected, such as increased mining in the Boundary Waters, which leads to direct climate change as humans manipulate the environment. Mining for metals and minerals leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions — along with the energy usage needed for the process — and the destruction of natural habitats. 

In 2024, Minnesota experienced drastic climate abnormalities, ranging from record-breaking dry spells and precipitation, demonstrating another consequence of climate change. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources claims the dry spells from February to March and from September to October created an unseen dry season. Between the dry spells, June and July featured an extremely notable wet season, along with one of the largest hail storms in Minnesota’s history. The contrasting climate of Minnesota’s seasons made 2024 a very unpredictable year. NASA has found that global warming connected with climate change strongly correlates to extreme droughts and wet seasons, as the warm air can either cause moisture to evaporate or hold moisture to precipitate. 

With countless effects and dangers of climate change, many scientists and experts believe everyone should do their part to help prevent the worsening of the planet. Organizations often take it upon themselves to do their part and spread the message of stopping climate change, such as the infamous Climate Clock featured in Times Square. The clock displays the amount of time the world has to effectively stop global warming, as the Earth reaches “a point of no return.” 

The Climate Clock provides a way to show people why taking action against environmental degradation is crucial, but also how humans can come together to stop it in time. “I think that people don’t really see the direct effects of [climate change] in front of them all the time so it’s easy to ignore it. Especially because it progresses in a way that’s not really in your face,” said Seyfarth. 

Although climate change seems like a faraway issue for many people, it continues to evolve. 2024 and the start of 2025 have shown the world some of the devastating effects of climate change through extreme temperatures and unforeseen natural disasters.

The subject of climate change has been hotly debated in political campaigns. Ever since the Supreme Court ruled the regulation of greenhouse gases in 2007 as a federal issue, the spotlight on climate change has strongly persisted. Like most political issues, climate change itself has earned a fair share of theories to the point where some believe that the phenomenon does not exist. 

The idea of a “green agenda” — a plan to protect the environment and strongly address climate change and the growth of nuclear power — stirs up these theories and fosters widespread distrust. “[Climate change] has caused very extremely harmful rhetoric and leads to distrust in scientific research that is very credible [and] also governmental institutions that try to combat it,” said senior Sarah Pederson. “When you have distrust in science and distrust in the people trying to fix the issue, it causes a lot of issues in terms of reception with the general public.” This misinformation can also have consequences when finding climate solutions, as people spread conspiracies about the harmful effects of wind turbines to oppose their construction according to NPR news.

The push behind some of these theories come from the belief that humans have no effect on the climate and that there is no scientific evidence to support that they do. “I feel like most of [the conspiracy theories] are just kind of off the rails, like [conspiracy theorists] are just trying to go against the grain,” said senior Jack Colosi. 

Climate change causes more natural disasters according to The United States Geological Survey. One of these natural disasters happened recently in the past year when Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton hit the coast of Florida within a few days of each other. Hurricane Milton infamously reached the limit of wind speeds possible within the constraints of Earth’s atmosphere, caused by warm temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico (renamed the Gulf of America by President Donald Trump). 

These events happened very close to the 2024 election, mainly affecting red states in the area. As a result, some conspiracy theorists believed that these events were false on the pretense that the Biden administration created these storms to hinder red states from voting to secure a win for former vice president Kamala Harris according to AP News. However, some Mounds View students are very doubtful of this theory. “[Hurricanes devastating red states] is just a coincidence. There’s no way anyone is controlling that hurricane,” said sophomore Roman Buzan. 

In addition, a long-standing theory about the California wildfires revitalizes itself each time the disaster occurs. The 10th most deadly fire, the Palisades fire, occurred in January 2025, killing 15 people. The cause for this fire is still undetermined, but many have taken it into their own hands to find the source of the fires. According to Universal Life Church Monastery, some believe it to be a religious reason, using examples of comedian and actress Nikki Glaser’s hosting of the Golden Globes in January to prove that LA and Hollywood are “godless lands.” However, many people commented on Universal Life Church Monastary’s article questioning the theory, with few quick to believe it. 

A theory that resurfaced recently, and was popular during the August 2020 North Complex fire, considers the use of directed energy weapons, more commonly referred to as DEWs. These weapons, allegedly, were stationed in space. The two ways they start fires is through shooting lasers to the state of California or agitating microwave systems to ignite flames in populous areas. Another theory was the government purposefully withholding water supply to prevent firefighters from using it to combat the aggressive and violent spread of the Palisades Fire. According to CBS News, these claims have been debunked by multiple scientists.  “When you look at the amount of suffering that these people went through and your first reaction is, ‘It’s a conspiracy. They did this,’ just take a step back,” said senior Jonin Morgan. Instead of conspiracies, scientists say that common causes for wildfires are dry winds, droughts and irresponsible campers and hikers, among other things.

With the creation of more outlandish news sites and broadcasts, new theories will keep presenting themselves into the groups that accept them. While some people refuse to accept climate change on a smaller level because of theories regarding DEWs or government intervention, others ignore the signs of climate change and instead blame natural disasters on a single year phenomenon, like a warmer than usual winter or a heavy rain season. But as climate change persists, the subject can no longer be ignored.

With thunderous applause and cheers from the crowd, President Donald Trump proudly declared, “We will drill, baby, drill,” at his inauguration speech. Just in his first month, Trump has attempted to overturn many climate-related policies from the Biden administration, with drilling being only one of them. His second term has raised environmental concerns as he favors economic growth and deregulation over environmental protection. 

On Jan. 20, Trump became the first president of the United States to declare a “national energy emergency,” giving him the power to avoid bureaucratic rules and prioritize energy development. He hoped to increase domestic energy production amid alleged energy shortages and speed up fossil fuel projects by approving permits and allowing projects to bypass environmental regulations. 

Yet, there is little evidence to suggest that the U.S. is truly experiencing an energy crisis. The U.S. is the number one producer of oil in the world for the sixth year in a row, averaging 12.9 million barrels per day according to Reuters. Production has only continued to increase, with some scientists claiming that there may soon be an oversupply of fossil fuels. “I don’t really see any emergency going on right now. I think that [Trump’s] most likely just doing that so he gains more power. Just by declaring an emergency, he can do more things,” said senior Kyle Dolbow.  

One of his most controversial executive orders thus far is “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.” This sets the framework for lifting prior drilling restrictions on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and accelerates the development of energy projects in the area. Along with many conservatives, Trump views drilling bans in the refuge as an “assault on Alaska’s sovereignty,” halting the prospects of a thriving oil and gas industry. With about 625 million acres of land open again, Alaskan politicians like Governor Mike Dunleavy are excited about the new economic prospects and job boosts this could bring. 

Others are concerned about the damage to the environment. According to the Arctic Institute, extensive drilling — as well as the threat of oil spills from explosions or accidents — can not only harm Arctic animals, but also the indigenous people who rely on these animals. “Opening up these pristine areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will destroy these climates and these ecosystems which are extremely important to the world. These ecosystems are so fragile, and they can only exist in these really specific standards that oil drilling and the threat of oil spills will destroy, so that’s a very scary thing,” said senior Jonin Morgan.  

In Minnesota specifically, Trump’s “Unleashing Energy Act,” will potentially reopen the Boundary Waters Canoe Area to mining, overturning the 20-year ban that Biden enacted on Jan. 26, 2023. According to MiningMinnesota, the prospect of the untapped copper and nickel mining could bring over 750 jobs into the area, as well as $2 billion in revenue. However, like Arctic drilling, sulfuric acid and mercury from these mines could poison the water. “I feel like we as Minnesotans should be looking towards this because the Boundary Waters [is] not only a beautiful recreational area, but it’s also crucial to the indigenous groups’ culture and their lives in that area. They rely on those waters and the food and the nutrients that comes from that area because the whole ecosystem is based off of that water,” said Morgan. 

In addition to these mining regulations, Trump signed an executive order to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement for the second time. He argues that it is an economic burden on the United States to not only have to comply with stricter emission regulations — which could hurt manufacturing industries — but also to fund climate initiatives for developing countries in the Green Climate Fund. This has sparked backlash from many, given the powerful influence the United States has on international climate policies. “[The Paris Agreement] is super duper important because they set climate goals, and they fund different sustainable energy initiatives in lower income countries, as well as climate justice groups…so that’s a real shame that we’re pulling out of that because we’re also one of the major players for actually setting the policy there,” said senior Sarah Pederson. 

However, others believe that the Paris Agreement is more useless than helpful. “Many countries in the agreement are not fulfilling their stated goals, so I view it as just kind of like…virtue signaling…like saying that we’re going to make our environment better but not actually doing it because no one wants to make the hard steps of having an economic impact by transitioning to green energy,” said Dolbow. 

Trump’s other notable climate-related plans include weakening the Endangered Species Act to lift restrictions on controversial projects that may harm vulnerable species, halting wind development and stopping the transition from plastic to paper straws. 

Despite many people’s concerns about the next four years’ climate policies, Trump’s power to make significant policy changes remains restricted because of the inherent checks and balances in the U.S. government. “I think a lot of his executive orders are going to get struck down in court as unconstitutional or not in the interest of people, so all these big orders look really scary, but…long term, a lot of them won’t have a[s] big of [an] effect as they feel like they will now,” said senior Greta Seyfarth. 

Much of the climate battle has come down to ideological differences and disagreements about the severity of the climate crisis. Whether people agree with his policies or not, Trump’s slew of executive orders have sent a clear message: that energy development is at the forefront of his priorities.