Climate scientists say they're balancing a 'strange mix of grief and hope' as climate-related disasters continue to prove their predictions right

• Climate scientists say they're feeling a mix of grief, fear, and hope in response to recent disasters.
• One fire scientist told the LA Times he used to be scared of climate change's impact on his grandkids. Now, he's afraid for himself.

Climate scientists are feeling grief, fear, and hope all at once as their projected consequences of the climate crisis are proven right time and time again, according to a new report from the Los Angeles Times.

"I used to think, 'I'm concerned for my children and grandchildren.' Now it's to the point where I'm concerned about myself," Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University, told the outlet.

In just the last 10 days, residents in Canada's Northwest Territories and Hawaii have battled extreme wildfires, and residents in some areas of Southern California are facing the region's first-ever tropical storm watch as Hurricane Hilary approaches.

"It was always like, 'Well, yes, I'm really worried about 30, 50 years from now,'" Flannigan said. "Now, I'm worried about what's going to happen next year, let alone the next 10 or 20 years."

The last few months have been marked by large-scale extreme weather events. This July, for example, was the world's hottest month on record as millions of people across the United States and Europe faced a devastating heat wave.

Jonathan Parfrey, executive director of Los Angeles nonprofit Climate Resolve, told the Los Angeles Times he's experiencing a "strange mix of grief and hope" following these climate-related disasters.

"On the one hand, I know how precarious our situation is," Parfrey said. "On the other, we have the tools and ideas, if put into action, that can make a world of difference."

Flannigan told the outlet the only way to mitigate the rising problem of the climate crisis is immediate action.

"I still give talks and at the end I often say, 'Urgent action is needed on climate change.' But I'm getting bloody tired of saying this, because we're not doing enough," Flannigan said.