Our Changing Planet, as Seen From Space

Hurricane Imelda (left) and Hurricane Humberto (right) approaching Florida in September. A recent study found that, as oceans warm, the Atlantic is increasingly seeing not just one, but two or more hurricanes spin up at the same time. NASA

Habaniya Lake in Iraq in 2020 (left) and 2025 (right). The lake, fed by the Euphrates River, has been withered by a drought. The drought, which scientists say is fueled by warming, has desiccated lakes, marshes, and wetlands across the country. In August, the Iraqi government said the country's water reserves had hit an 80-year low. NASA

Water channels in Queensland, Australia, before (left) and after (right) extreme rainfall in March fueled the worst flooding the region has seen in half a century. Scientists say that warming likely exacerbated the flooding, which killed 33 people. NASA

A false-color image of South Korean forests scorched by wildfires in March. An analysis found that warming doubled the odds of the hot, dry, windy weather that gave rise to the fires, which burned close to 260,000 acres and killed 32 people. NASA

A false-color image of burn scars in Los Angeles, left by the Palisades Fire (left) and Eaton Fire (right), in January of last year. In 2024, L.A. saw record rainfall, which fueled the growth of grasses and shrubs, followed by an exceptionally arid fall, which left dense vegetation to dry out. A recent report found warming made the L.A. wildfires twice as likely and 25 times larger. The fires burned more than 50,000 acres and killed an estimated 440 people. NASA

A massive floating solar array in a reservoir on India's Narmada River. The installation, completed earlier this year, covers 210 acres. The installation is another sign that, even as emissions rise and weather grows more extreme, the world is making progress on climate change. In the first half of last year, renewables supplied more power than coal for the first time globally. NASA