California’s Wildfires: Climate Change, COVID, and Consequences, with Matthew Wibbenmeyer

Summary: This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Resources for the Future Fellow Matthew Wibbenmeyer. Wibbenmeyer provides an update on the recent spread of wildfires in California. He and Raimi discuss the severity of the fires; the impacts of the fires on people and places; and the causes of these fires, including the role of climate change. They also talk about how public policies can help reduce the risks of wildfires, including the roles of prescribed burning and housing policy. References and recommendations: “The Ongoing Trauma of California’s Wildfires, in ‘Last Days at Paradise High’” by Rachel Riederer; https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary/the-ongoing-trauma-of-californias-wildfires-in-last-days-at-paradise-high “How Prosperity Transformed the Falklands” by Larissa MacFarquhar; https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/07/06/how-prosperity-transformed-the-falklands