Hi Friend,
What if we tell you the solution
to our wildfire problem is… housing?
With climate change-induced heat waves and wildfires returning year after year and a homelessness epidemic that is worsening, the Golden State is dealing with threats on multiple fronts. There is no time to waste in addressing any of these issues, which is why the state should prioritize land use and housing policies that curb sprawl and encourage plentiful infill developments. These policies will reduce commute time and greenhouse gas emissions, better protect families from wildfires and heatwaves, and open up opportunity-rich areas for lower-income households.
The correlation between climate change and sprawl is well documented. In fact, research shows that CO2 emissions are much more strongly associated with increased urban land area than GDP or population growth. Climate policies that do not address sprawl ignore the elephant in the room. Housing policies that neglect climate are short-sighted and irresponsible.
Abundant Housing LA, in partnership with Senator Henry Stern, will host an event on July 8th at 5pm entitled, The Worsening Fire Crisis: How Housing and Climate Policy Intersect. This in-person event will feature Senator Stern, Sierra Club Boardmember Meghan Sahli-Wells, and Climate Scientist, Natural Resources chair for League of Women Voters of LA County & Beach Cities Dr. Grace Peng. We look forward to hearing about their plans to finally merge the two policy priorities to form an interdisciplinary approach to housing and climate!
 Climate Data Scientist
Dr. Grace Peng
Dr Grace Peng is the Natural Resources chair for League of Women Voters of LA County & Beach Cities. Previously, she worked as a weather and climate analyst for the Aerospace Corporation where her duties included calibrating and validating weather satellite data. She also worked as a weather and climate data specialist for the National Center for Atmospheric Research where her duties included preparing data used in weather and climate models and helping users from government and industry use data effectively to make their decisions. Dr Peng holds a BA in mathematics and a BS in chemistry from UC Berkeley as well as a PhD in chemical physics from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
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