(NewsNation) — Record-breaking heat, fast-moving wildfires and severe drought are plaguing the U.S. in what some experts are calling summer “danger season.”

“The sooner we can recognize that we have this period of the year where these risks are really amplified, the sooner we can start to prepare and really make sure we’re not getting pummeled by these kinds of events year after year,” USC principal climate scientist Kristina Dahl said.

The National Interagency Fire Center was tracking more than 30 active wildfires as of Tuesday morning — burning around one million acres across five states.

That included the Arizona Pipeline fire burning 5,000 acres, the New Mexico Midnight Fire burning nearly 4,000 acres and the California sheep fire burning almost a thousand acres.

“There’s no one single cause to wildfires. And they’re worsening trends,” Dahl said. “But we know that climate, forest management, fire suppression and development patterns are all playing roles.”

As scientists work to understand the impacts of extreme weather on our environment — they say all signs point to climate change and the burning of greenhouse gases as the primary cause.

Those same experts say that if we want our kids to be able to play outside during summer and breathe in fresh air, it’s all dependent on our climate system, which can be controlled if we just pay attention.

“We need to be looking out for one another and thinking nationally about how we prevent climate change from getting worse and how we prepare people for what is coming down the line,” Dahl said.