Editorial Board
The Folly of Returning to Paradise
California should restrict further development in fire-prone areas.
Climate change is coming for California.
Photographer: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images.
Paradise, California, is being rebuilt. Crews are removing millions of tons of debris left by the devastating Camp Fire last fall. The town council is holding public meetings to plan a new community. Developers are designing new homes. And somewhere off in the future, the next voracious wildfire awaits.
According to a state report, California’s fire season is now “almost year round.” More than 25 million acres of wildlands are under very high or extreme fire threat, and the high-risk area is home to 11 million people — one-quarter of the state’s population.