How Climate Change Killed David Lynch - Article

On the fifteenth of January, 2025, a hero of mine died. Visionary director, David Lynch, influenced my life in ways no other public figure ever has. The first time I watched Twin Peaks, I was enamoured at a mainstream television show’s ability to astound, terrify, confuse and endear simultaneously.

When I learned that Lynch had died as a result of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, evacuated from his home and later passing from complications related to emphysema, a large part of me couldn’t help but think it could have been prevented. Was this denial? Quite possible. Is it incorrect? Well, not quite.

The wildfires in LA have burned a path straight towards the cultural centre of America: Hollywood. Lynch may be the first casualty in this regard, but it is not just Hollywood that is affected. The fires have already been titled “The costliest in U.S. History” and with further studies being carried out, the harrowing predictions for further damage are now destined to come true. According to World Weather Attribution, the conditions for the fires were 35% more likely as a direct result of climate change.

Hollywood may be in the spotlight, but LA is experiencing unprecedented levels of homelessness. Over seventy-five thousand people are classed as unhoused, according to The Los Angeles homeless services authority. As fires devastate the city, more and more are likely to add to that staggering figure. Paris Hilton and Mel Gibson may be able to find another lavish mansion to occupy, the same cannot be said for the thousands living on the breadline, the permanent threat of homelessness ever creeping towards them.

It is not just the US, however, that has been affected by wildfires as a result of climate change. Wildfires have been devastating parts of the Greek peninsula; in Athens, for example, a combination of warmer, dryer summers have led to catastrophic consequences. People fear for their – and their children’s – lives. With fires bordering the most populated metropolitan area in the country, it is simply a matter of time before they cross the threshold. In an interview with the BBC, a volunteer firefighter described the conditions he faced as “hell”.

Fire, of course, is not the sole result of climate change. In Pakistan, to name one such affected nation, record flooding has utterly destroyed the country. In 2022, according to the British Red Cross, more than one-thousand seven-hundred people lost their lives – with countless more permanently displaced. It is not just the figures that paint such a stark image though – not the hundreds of thousands evacuated, the billions of dollars’ worth of damage – satellite imaging highlighted the destructive impact the floods had. In a widely shared image online, the landscape has been permanently changed.

On the contrary, the severe lack of water has caused severe issues across the globe. In Sicily and Sardinia, droughts have plagued the islands for stretches of up to a year at a time, with catastrophic consequences for agriculture and livestock. According to the World Weather Attribution: “water reservoirs on the two islands are almost empty, despite water rationing having been in place since February” Ironically a picturesque hotspot for the wealthy elite, travellers have put increased strain on already limited water resources. Unfortunately for residents, tourists show no sign of losing interest in the islands, with a 2024 CNN report stating a two percent rise in tourism from the year before; in the midst of severe drought.

Drought has not just affected stereotypically warmer nations however, with far reaching effects across the European continent. In 2022, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology reported that the country had faced its joint warmest year on record – alongside 2018 – since the 1890s; droughts in parts of the country had been their worst since the summer of 1976. Nevertheless, it may be interesting to point out that 2024 had been the wettest year on record since 1836. The unpredictable nature of climate change has presented no end to the long list of issues faced by the world in the coming decades .We face a drought, stripping bare water resources, then two years later face the wettest year on record in nearly two hundred years.

But if you forget all that - the colder summers, warmer winters and the destructive effects on the global south. Yes, if you ignore all that, the global north has suffered a cultural defeat. I don’t face disaster and destitution, I open my phone and see that a hero of mine has died.

Perhaps I should count myself lucky? I have lost no house, no family and no livelihood to the ever-changing climate. The same cannot be said for millions across the globe. Climate change has not just affected hobbies and interests for these people; it has indescribably changed their lives forever, in ways not even comprehendible to most. I mourn for David Lynch – as many do – however if swift action is not taken on the climate, the list of casualties will continue to grow as a result, and these casualties will not have the Hollywood privilege Lynch had. It starts with unpredictable weather, it ends with drought, crop failure, and death.

That is not to say, however, that all is lost. Things are bleak now – likely to get worse – but there are solutions to the many problems climate change creates. There are solid plans in place to overhaul the energy industry, with countries like Scotland leading the charge with wind, solar and wave power. The electric car industry is ever increasing, deforestation is actively being tackled but most importantly: climate change education is the best it has ever been. Generation Z, to which I belong, are more aware of the issue than any generation before. Climate education is on track to continue, with each new generation likely to become more aware than the last. The optimistic view is that each educated generation could produce lawmakers and activists more dedicated than the last – Greta Thunberg likely the most recent example.  There is hope, so in the words of David Lynch: “Keep your eye on the donut, not the hole”