After celebrating the start of 2025 at the festive Christmas markets in Brussels, I was met with a different kind of winter wonderland as the Eurostar crossed the English Channel. On the night of the 4th January, many parts of the UK became blanketed by snow. What began as a light flurry soon escalated into a blizzarding blast, much to the detriment of my wheeled suitcase, which trailed lines through the three inches of snow before giving out. Surprisingly, I had managed to avoid any major delays on my second train journey, finding some comfort in watching the white streaks of snow cut through the darkness outside the window. As I met my mum on the snow-covered platform, we exchanged a warm hug and a quick “Happy New Year” before hurrying to the car for what should have been a 20-minute drive home. Little did we know we would spend a nerve-racking hour trapped between cars stalled on icy inclines and gingerly navigating winding snow-covered country lanes. With no grit on the roads and without snow equipment, the conditions were treacherous. But despite our white knuckles, we survived our adventure and made it home safely.

This experience underscores the UK’s vulnerability to extreme weather events. Considering the relative infrequency of heavy snowfall in the UK compared to countries such as Canada or Switzerland, it’s understandable that we are usually ill-prepared and caught off guard by such conditions. This is especially true when we consider that the number of days with sleet or snow has reduced significantly as a result of human-induced global warming. But when we look at how even moderate disruptions can strain local resources, can we really afford to continue ignoring the risks of a rapidly changing climate? Or is it already too late to adapt?

With 2024 marking the hottest year on record and surpassing the 1.5°C global warming limit, humanity needn’t be reminded that we are reaching an ecological crisis point. As global weather patterns change, we are seeing an increase in the frequency, unpredictability, and intensity of extreme weather events, as the first week of 2025 has shown all too clearly. While the UK experienced flooding, snow and sub-zero temperatures, Los Angeles saw the start of blazing wildfires causing widespread destruction and the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. Fire and ice, drought and snow: climate polarity is marking the start of the new calendar year, and it seems humanity cannot keep up. Even though the UK has historically experienced far lower temperatures and higher rates of snowfall than it does today, global warming has made cold snaps less frequent. This makes them appear more extreme and leaves us unprepared, with consequences ranging from school closures and transport delays to road accidents. And even though Los Angeles is no stranger to wildfires, America’s most “fire-ready” city has become overwhelmed by flames, with global warming exacerbating the spread by prolonging dry conditions and thus increasing the aridity of the terrain.

Experience, forecasting, and mitigation appear obsolete in the face of the climate emergency we have caused. To borrow the apocalyptic words of Robert Frost: ‘some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice’. In reality, however, we are more likely to see a cascade of effects. Rising temperatures melt ice sheets, causing sea levels to rise and increasing the risk of superstorms and floods in places like the UK. At the same time, shifting precipitation patterns heighten the chances of droughts and wildfires in places like California and elsewhere.

As we move further into 2025, it is unfortunately inevitable that we will see more climate disaster headlines. These contrasting weather extremes serve as stark reminders that climate change is no longer a distant threat but a present reality. It’s here, it’s happening, and it’s happening faster than we thought. The warming planet doesn’t just push global temperatures higher; it also stirs the atmosphere in ways that make weather more erratic, extreme, and dangerous. We can no longer afford to ignore the warning signs. Our world is changing, and the question is no longer whether we can avoid catastrophe, but whether we can adapt fast enough to survive it.