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cover of episode What Can We Do About Wildfires? With Convective Capital’s Bill Clerico

What Can We Do About Wildfires? With Convective Capital’s Bill Clerico

2025/1/23
logo of podcast No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups

No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups

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Bill Clerico
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Elad Gil
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Elad Gil: 加州山火问题复杂,既有气候变化的长期影响,也有森林管理、电网建设等短期人为因素。我们需要同时关注这两个方面,并采取相应的应对措施。 我认为,虽然气候变化会加剧山火发生的频率和强度,但近年来山火频发更重要的原因是森林管理不善和电网建设等问题。这些问题是我们可以立即着手解决的。 我们需要将气候变化的影响考虑在内,并制定更积极的应对策略。 Bill Clerico: 我认为加州山火加剧的主要原因并非气候变化,而是森林管理不善和电网建设等问题。气候变化确实会加剧山火发生的条件,但我们仍有很多方法可以有效地应对山火。 近百年来,美国森林密度增加三倍,这与美国林务局实施的“最大限度扑灭”政策有关。该政策虽然初衷良好,但长期以来导致森林密度过高,增加了山火风险。 解决森林密度过大的问题,需要采取控制性焚烧和人工疏林等措施。然而,这些措施的实施受到各种因素的限制,包括环保法规、公众认知和政治意愿等。 加州在控制性焚烧方面落后于其他州,这既有政治原因,也有文化原因。我们需要改变公众对控制性焚烧的认知,并推动相关政策的改革。 加州住房建设大量位于野地与城市交界处,加剧了山火的影响。我们需要改变城市规划和建筑规范,以减少山火风险。 电力设施故障是山火的重要起因,电力公司可以通过植被管理、安全停电等措施来减少山火风险。然而,这些措施的实施受到监管和消费者对电价上涨的抵制。 加州的火险保险市场存在问题,保险公司因无法充分反映风险而大量撤出。我们需要改革保险市场监管,以更好地应对山火风险。 未来几年,无人机技术将在山火扑救中发挥重要作用。 建议居民自行购买并使用阻燃剂等防火物资,并清理房屋周围的易燃物。 山火灾后重建应注重安全,采用更严格的建筑规范。 政府应投资基础设施建设,并加强对城市周边地区的燃料管理。

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Chapters
Bill Clerico discusses the factors contributing to the severity of wildfires, emphasizing the role of increased forest density due to past fire suppression policies. He highlights the need for prescribed burns and timber thinning to reduce fuel density but acknowledges the challenges posed by regulations and public perception.
  • Increased forest density (three times since the 1930s) due to maximum fire suppression policies.
  • Need for prescribed fire and timber thinning to reduce fuel load.
  • Challenges in implementing solutions due to regulations and public opposition.

Shownotes Transcript

This week on No Priors, Sarah and Elad sit down with Bill Clerico, founder of Convective Capital, an early stage venture fund focused on technology-driven solutions for wildfire mitigation and climate resilience. The wildfires in Los Angeles have caused unprecedented property damage and immense hardship for countless individuals and families. This episode is devoted to diving into understanding what happened and what we can do in the future. Bill shares his insights into the increasing severity of wildfires, the role of policy, and how infrastructure issues, like outdated building codes and underfunded utilities, are contributing to the crisis. They discuss the latest innovations in fire-fighting technology, from advanced detection to drones, and how these tools can help mitigate future damage.

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**Show Notes: **

0:00 Introduction

1:02 Why are wildfires getting worse?

5:37 Policies and regulatory decisions

10:47 Housing: building codes and permitting

13:19 Key factors in response

16:20 Improving water supply and city infrastructure 

19:10 Preventing wildfires

21:26 Underinvestment in California’s utilities

26:53  Innovative fire fighting technology

29:35 Accelerating Los Angeles’ recovery

34:29 Actions homeowners, insurance companies, and governments can take