When disaster strikes, recovery often demands swift action, but at what cost to sustainability?
Following the Los Angeles wildfires, Governor Gavin Newsom has taken several legislative actions to aid in the recovery of the impacted communities. Among these includes a suspension of the review and permitting process to streamline infrastructure rebuilding under the California Coastal Act and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Upper School History teacher Avi McClelland-Cohen, who teaches the U.S. Government and Climate Change courses in addition to other classes, addressed a concern with the balance of quick rebuilding and protecting the climate.
“There exists competing needs of sustainability and urgency. Rebuilding in irresponsible ways will only worsen our climate and cause worse disasters like this in the future,” she said.
Manager of Environmental Sustainability Laura Fleming stated, “As we reconstruct, we should adopt fire-resistant building codes and use materials like adobe instead of plywood.”
On the national level, Congress is seeking to address forest management through the Fix Our Forests Act, which would prioritize community defense setups and prevent environmental groups from filing “frivolous” lawsuits. This legislation would fund scientists to assess the state of these fire-prone regions, supported through the employment of forest management tools such as fire breaks, prescribed burning and timber harvesting.
McClelland-Cohen and Fleming both expressed their hopes for California’s commitment to sustainable development.
“Even if the U.S. backs out of leading efforts against climate change, California, as one of the largest economies in the world, can still make independent decisions for sustainability. For example, we can implement certain standards for emissions on companies that want to sell their goods here,” said McClelland-Cohen.
Indeed, after President Donald Trump left the Paris Accord for the second time at the start of his term, 24 states, including California, have recommitted themselves to the accord’s goals.
“In the rebuild phase, we have the opportunity to set up defensible space, fire resistant landscaping, bury electric lines and end gas usage in specific areas throughout LA County,” Fleming highlighted.
“Where private funds are paying for the rebuild, the property would have to decide whether to take on those additional costs,” Pasadena City Council member Jason Lyon shared. “I don’t think policy makers in government would want to mandate sustainability standards because we’re trying to balance competing concerns, including the cost of housing generally and the particular desire to get victims of the Eaton Fire back into permanent homes as soon as possible. But it’s an entirely different question for public buildings.”
