When many in California talk about this year’s wildfires, they describe the color — the apocalyptic, ominous, red-orange glow in the sky.The state’s current wildfires have seen two and a half million acres already burned.Climate change has made conditions ripe for fires: Temperatures are higher and the landscape drier. But the destruction has also become more acute because of the number of homes that are built on the wildland-urban interface — where development meets wild vegetation.The pressures of California’s population have meant that towns are encouraged to build in high-risk areas. And when a development is ravaged by a fire, it is often rebuilt, starting the cycle of destruction over again.Today, we explore the practice of building houses in fire zones and the role insurance companies could play in disrupting this cycle.&nbsp;Guest: Christopher Flavelle, who covers the impact of global warming on people, governments and industries for The New York Times.&nbsp;For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>Background reading:&nbsp;<ul><li>“People are always asking, ‘Is this the new normal?’” a climate scientist said. “I always say no. It’s going to get worse.” If climate change was an abstract notion a decade ago, today<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/10/us/climate-change-california-wildfires.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=Homepage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> it is all too real for Californians</a>.</li><li>Research suggests that most Americans<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/climate/flood-fire-building-restrictions.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> support restrictions</a> on building homes in fire- or flood-prone areas.&nbsp;</li></ul>

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A Self-Perpetuating Cycle of Wildfires

The New York Times