Earth and environmental sciences professor Bruno Basso said climate change is increasing the frequency of severe weather.  

In the event of incidents like the Maui fires, Basso said, extremely dry vegetation, increasing temperatures and low precipitation are direct consequences of climate change, creating conditions for extreme weather events. 

On the other hand, geography professor and Michigan state climatologist Jeff Andersen said weather patterns and climate change can present a "challenging connection."  

"I find it difficult to relate one storm (or) one heavy flooding rain event to climate change," Andersen said.

However, Andersen noted that the amount of greenhouse gas being released into the atmosphere cannot be dismissed as a natural occurrence.

"The issue is that we are releasing gas into the atmosphere at a much ... higher rate than what is observed in the natural world," Andersen said. "We are changing the composition of the atmosphere at a much more rapid rate than what has occured in the past."

Comparative cultures and politics and sustainability senior Truman Forbes said the extreme weather events cannot be considered sporadic. Forbes, who is a Sunrise Core Team Member, said efforts should be placed less on whether climate change is responsibile or not and more on how we can mitigate its effects. 

"Individual change is great, but it's honestly more institutional and larger scale changes that we need," Forbes said. "It's people like Jeff Bezos and larger institutions like (MSU) that are causing this, not ... deciding to recycle your Starbucks cup or not."

Forbes added that the most environmentally beneficial impact could be seen from MSU divesting from fossil fuels and investing in renewable energy, for example.

In terms of what to expect for this winter in Michigan, a state notorious for its bipolar weather patterns and icy, torturous winters, both Basso and Andersen predict a milder and drier season.