Photo Credit: Shutterstock
This week, we present the second episode in our three-part interview series on climate risk. You can listen to the first episode here.
As the latest round of wildfires in California are finally brought under control, residents and public officials are in a state of panic. The scope and frequency of these disasters is expanding quickly. And it’s not solved by sprinkling more wind and solar on the grid — it’s a planning issue of the highest magnitude.
Our guest is thinking through the complexities of the growing impact of climate change on the geography, economy and the infrastructure of the world’s fifth-biggest economy.
In Part 2 of our climate risk series, Shayle Kann talks with Kate Gordon, director of California's Office of Planning and Research. She is also senior adviser to Governor Gavin Newsom on climate. As she explains, it is an increasingly complicated role.
Topics covered in this episode:
- What are the risks the state of California faces due to climate change, today and in the future? How are they expanding?
- How should we think about housing policy and urban planning in light of wildfire risk? Should we be rebuilding homes that have been burned down? How do we deal with rising insurance premiums?
- How might climate change contribute to water scarcity in the state, and what can be done today to mitigate that risk?
- What other climate risks should be at the forefront of Californians' minds — flooding, temperature, impact on agriculture, etc.?
- Are events like wildfires and power shutoffs galvanizing the public into taking action around climate resilience? If so, in what form?
- Is California looking to any other governments as lodestars when it comes to building climate resilience? Which countries and states are doing it right?
Could you do us a favor? Take our listener survey so we can give you more relevant content: bit.ly/gtmpodcast
Support for the Interchange podcast comes from Schneider Electric, the leader of the digital transformation in energy management and automation.
Support for this podcast also comes from PG&E. PG&E is helping to electrify corporate fleet vehicles. Get in touch with PG&E’s EV specialists to find out how you can take your transportation fleet electric.