California is investing more than ever to reduce the risks of catastrophic wildfire. Recently, the state's legislature and governor approved a historic $536 million near-term investment in fuels management and community protection. While this investment is the largest ever in state history, the question remains: is it enough?
Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, presented a new working paper, A New Strategy for Addressing the Wildfire Epidemic in California (pdf), on needs for wildfire risk reduction funding in California.
Nancy Watkins, principal and consulting actuary at Milliman, and Crystal Kolden, assistant professor at UC Merced, responded with their perspectives on the scope and scale of public and private investments needed to make progress on the wildfire problem in California. Laura Tam, program officer at the Resources Legacy Fund, provided introductory remarks and moderate a discussion on resources for wildfire resilience. Watch the recording for a comprehensive conversation among experts on risk, resilience, and wildfire about the scope of the problem and the funding needed to adequately address it as we anticipate a year with historic drought conditions and already higher than average wildfire risk.
Speakers:
Laura Tam, Program Officer, Resources Legacy Fund
Nancy Watkins, Principal and Consulting Actuary, Milliman
Crystal Kolden, Assistant Professor, UC Merced
Michael Wara, Director, Climate and Energy Policy at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
