California is getting an energy czar. That’s according to Governor Gavin Newsom, who announced a big re-shaping of the utility company PG&E in response to the state’s ongoing wildfire crisis.
Many experts believe that the recent disasters represent a new era — one in which major wildfires that threaten people and their homes are a regular fixture in our lives. A changing environment may require a new set of responses from our communities and our government.
Chris Field is director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. He talks about how the scientific community is thinking about wildfires.