California governor approves USD 1 billion to stop wildfires

The funding is part of a USD 15 bn spending package on climate, which Newsom called the largest commitment in the state’s history. The spending includes money approved earlier this year and commitments to spend more in the future

Having spent billions of dollars in a losing battle to control wildfires in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved nearly USD 1 billion in new spending aimed at stopping the blazes before they start.

California spent USD 3.4 billion on wildfire protection last year, more than quadruple of 15 years ago. But state officials have spent most of that money on extinguishing fires, a job that has become harder as fires have gotten bigger and hotter because of climate change.

Thursday’s action brings California’s total wildfire prevention budget this year to more than USD 1.5 bn. About 16,000 fires have burned in California since the start of 2020, scorching more than 10,000 square miles (25,899 sq kms). That’s about 6.5 per cent of California’s land. Nine states are smaller than that. The fires are so intense they are even threatening 3,000-year-old Sequoia trees that are largely resistant to fires. 

This month, largely because of a record-breaking budget surplus, lawmakers added nearly USD 1 bn in new spending to that total money that Newsom approved Thursday. Most of it will pay for things like clearing brush and dead trees that act as kindling when fires start, causing them to quickly burn out of control before firefighters can contain them. The funding is part of a USD 15 bn spending package on climate, which Newsom called the largest commitment in the state’s history. The spending includes money approved earlier this year and commitments to spend more in the future.

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