Life is full of tradeoffs: California's attempt to build more housing might increase wildfire risk

See California’s Dual Crises Are on a Collision Course: A debate over wildfire risk in place with America’s worst home shortage leaves residents and developments in limbo by Jim Carlton of The WSJ. Excerpts:

"Here in the far reaches of Los Angeles County, where the land is as dry as a bone beneath brittle yellow grass and brush, homes are in short supply for residents like Cristina Schmidt."

"Centennial at Tejon Ranch, a planned community of 19,333 homes, a fifth of them affordable, approved by Los Angeles County in 2019."

"Powerful California Democrats, traditionally more aligned with the green movement, are instead now pushing to make housing easier to build in America’s most-populous state, including in fire-prone areas, where mitigation measures have shown success."

"Yet environmental groups are now successfully leveraging wildfire risk to stall or stop huge housing projects throughout California"

"The environmentalists have a point about fire danger in tinderbox zones, but often go too far, said Bruce Babcock, professor of public policy at the University of California, Riverside. “They’re not in favor of housing anywhere,” he said."

"Nine of the 10 biggest wildfires in California history erupted in the past decade, including the 2018 Camp Fire, which ravaged Paradise and killed 84 people. Fires have made the housing shortage worse, razing thousands of structures and inflating insurance costs."

"California, long known for strict regulations and environmental restrictions, now sees Democrats who once championed these rules advocating for more construction to tackle the state’s affordable-housing crisis. 

A Yimby (yes in my backyard) movement including progressives has emerged. To spur construction, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills last year streamlining housing permits."

"A Harvard study published in July found increased housing development in wildland areas can actually reduce the chance of wildfires because of such factors as more firefighting equipment put in place.

"A 2021 analysis of state fire data by the California Building Industry Association found that only 1% of homes built after 2010 suffered damage in nine of the most destructive fires since 2017, with it being “extremely rare to see more than two new homes on the street destroyed or affected by the fires.”

Dave Winnacker, chief of the Moraga-Orinda Fire District, near Oakland, credits building codes enacted after 2007 that mandate “hardening” protections, such as ember-resistant vents, and keeping flammable vegetation away from homes. 

Winnacker said master-planned communities incorporate added defenses—using wide roads, dog parks and other open spaces as fire breaks between homes and wild areas."

"the Center for Biological Diversity and other groups sued over wildfire risks among other concerns. In 2023, a state judge ordered the county to rescind its approval, agreeing the county inadequately addressed the likelihood of off-site ignitions in the tinder-dry area.The project now sits in limbo" 

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Life is full of tradeoffs: If we want a cleaner environment in Minnesota do we have to give up metals needed for green energy? (2024) (this post has links to over 20 other posts on tradeoffs like this)