Two thousand years ago, when the ozone layer was as yet unharmed by the burning of fossil fuels and the constant application of hair spray, the Roman poet Horace reflected, “You may drive out nature with a pitchfork, yet she’ll be constantly running back.” Unfortunately for Donald Trump and his disciples, Mother Nature—like the equally tempestuous Stormy Daniels—can’t be bought off with hush money. The disastrous effects of global warming are becoming increasingly clear, and if things stay on course, humanity will soon make the great flood look like a backyard pool party. From Maryland to Mecca, the weather is sending us a message—but some politicians remain stubbornly hard of hearing.
January–FebrUARY
Chile
DISASTER
Wildfires.
SIGNIFICANCE
Considered by the Chilean government to be the country’s worst natural disaster since the 2010 earthquake.
Cost
More than 100 dead; more than $4 billion in damages.
“Climate change, dear compatriots, is not an invention.”
—Gabriel Boric, President of chile, after his election, in 2022.
February–March
Texas, U.S.A.
DISASTER
Smokehouse Creek Fire.
SIGNIFICANCE
Largest wildfire on record in Texas history.
COST
Two dead; more than one million acres burned; more than $4 billion in damages.
“Young people … report high levels of anxiety about climate change and are adapting their behavior in radical ways, including by foregoing children. Is this anxiety based on science or sensationalism? The evidence points to the latter.”
—Texas senator Ted Cruz, in an Open Letter Written to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration In August.
April–May
India
DISASTER
Heat.
SIGNIFICANCE
Temperatures reached 121.8 degrees Fahrenheit in Delhi and 122.9 degrees Fahrenheit in Churu, the highest temperatures in India in nearly a decade.
COST
At least 100 dead; more than 40,000 cases of heatstroke.
“The time for action is here and now. India is committed to a cleaner planet.”
—Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in September.
APRIL–july
Hunan, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Guangdong, China
DISASTER
Rainfall, flooding, and landslides.
SIGNIFICANCE
Dangerously elevated precipitation set multiple records, including the Miluo River’s highest water level in 70 years and the Songyuan River’s largest recorded flood.
COST
More than 70 dead; approximately $700 million in damages.
“China has contributed in addressing climate change. But in the future, China will do our best to contribute more.”
—Zhao Yingmin, vice minister of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, at the COP29 climate talks, in November.
June
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
DISASTER
Heat.
SIGNIFICANCE
Temperatures reaching 125 degrees Fahrenheit killed Muslims making their hajj pilgrimage.
COST
More than 1,300 dead; nearly 3,000 injured.
“The climate-change issue and sustainability is a global issue. It cannot be attended to in regional scopes or as a smaller territorial thing. It has to be global.”
—prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, in July.
summer
Maryland, U.S.A.
DISASTER
Heat wave.
SIGNIFICANCE
In July, Baltimore reached temperatures of 104 degrees Fahrenheit and tied a city record by clocking four days with temperatures exceeding more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
COST
25 reported heat-related deaths in 2024.
“People talk about global warming or they talk about climate change, but they never talk about nuclear warming.”
—Donald Trump, in August.
August, Summer
Northern Hemisphere
DISASTER
Global warming.
SIGNIFICANCE
Hottest recorded month on earth (August); 15 months in a row of record heat.
COST
Portends apocalypse.
“Is it a crisis, is it the world’s greatest challenge, or a big threat to the next generation? No.”
—Chris Wright, Donald Trump’s Pick for Secretary of energy, in 2023.
September
Southeastern U.S.A.
DISASTER
Hurricane Helene.
SIGNIFICANCE
Strongest recorded hurricane to strike Florida’s Big Bend region; deadliest to strike mainland U.S. since Katrina.
COST
At least 234 dead; approximately at least $50 billion in damages.
“You look at Keaton Beach. I mean, I think almost every home was destroyed, or the vast majority, and some totally obliterated.”
—Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida, months after signing legislation erasing most references to the term “climate change” from state law.
SEPTEMBER
Antarctica
DISASTER
Low sea-ice concentration.
SIGNIFICANCE
The winter maximum for sea ice in the region was the second lowest ever recorded.
COST
Globally rising sea levels and coastal flooding; ecological disruption; exponentially increasing economic harm.
“The biggest threat is not global warming, where the ocean’s going to rise one-eighth of an inch over the next 400 years.... You’ll have more oceanfront property, right?”
— Trump, in August.
October
Florida, U.S.A.
DISASTER
Hurricane Milton.
SIGNIFICANCE
One of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded.
COST
More than 30 dead; at least $50 billion in damages.
“Put this in perspective.... There is nothing new under the sun.”
— Desantis in October.
October–November
Spain
DISASTER
Flooding.
SIGNIFICANCE
Torrential rain led to deadly flooding in Valencia, among other areas, resulting in one of Spain’s most deadly climate disasters.
COST
At least 230 dead.
“Climate Change kills.”
—Pedro SÁnchez, Prime Minister of Spain, in November.
2025 and onward
earth
DISASTER
Climate change.
SIGNIFICANCE
Existential.
COST
Everything.
“There is a need to act with urgency—with urgency, compassion and determination—since the stakes could not be higher.”
—Pope Francis in May.
Jack Sullivan is an Associate Editor at AIR MAIL
