Frank Frievalt On America's Wildfire Nightmare
While the Los Angeles fires continue to rage, the debate on what should be done — and indeed what can be done — to prepare and protect communities from these kinds of infernos is heating up. The multiple blazes are also highlighting the frightening potential for fire risk to rip through the financial system, wrecking homeowners, insurers, and government budgets in the process. In today's episode, Frank Frievalt, Director of the Wildland-Urban Interface FIRE Institute at Cal Poly, discusses the changing nature of wildfires and urban conflagrations under climate change, and the challenges mitigating their physical and financial risks. Frank shares his professional insights on how the warming climate is contributing to fiercer fires and the difficulties motivating wildfire risk mitigation among vulnerable communities. He also offers insights on the transmission mechanisms through which growing wildfire risks could spark a new financial crisis. Sign up to climateproof.news for a twice-weekly dose of climate adaptation & resilience news and insights. Questions? Comments? Email Louie at louie@climateproof.news