
California, We Can’t Go on Like This - gdilla
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/26/opinion/california-wildfires-blackouts.html
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I disagree with the title's assertion. We can and will go on. How will it
happen? Market forces.

\- Sprawl in high-risk areas: Fire insurance is prohibitively expensive.
Organically, as the property attempts to be sold, new owners will pass if fire
insurance is $50k per year. Existing owners will likely go without.

\- NIMBYism: Requires a sizable set of land-owning voters to protect the third
rail of California, that is, Prop 13. As affordability declines, fewer people
will be incentivized to support policies that protect landowners at the ballot
box, presuming voters rationally vote in their self-interest.

\- Balancing air quality (smoke) vs public health (covid). Opening windows at
home won't save you from Covid. What will? Eschewing business activity and
public life where people congregate in enclosed spaces. If you're practicing
social distancing, you can safely keep your windows closed if air quality is
an issue.

