Elizabeth Weil writes a poignant piece on California’s wildfire problem, and what it means to live in the state. “Did choosing to stay here mean a life defined by worry, vigilance and loss?” she asks. Weil also speaks with climate futurist Alex Steffen, who explains we’re living in trans-apocalyptic times: “We have this idea that the world is either normal and in continuity with what we’ve expected, or it’s the apocalypse, it’s the end of everything — and neither are true.” Yes, the world’s in bad shape, and loss and grief are inevitable, he tells her, but it still might be possible to build a better future.
This is the moment in the story where you and I would both like me to introduce a majestic, mood-changing solution, a Gladwellian big idea. This is the best I’ve got: We need to stop thinking a dashing rescuer in a red slicker or yellow fire-resistant shirt should come save us from wildfire. We don’t fight hurricanes. We don’t fight tornadoes. No one assumes there will be an armed defense from an earthquake or a flood. Instead, we bolt our houses to our foundations. We raise our homes on stilts. Now we, Californians of the Anthropocene, need to grow up, take responsibility and stop expecting to be saved.
