Wildfire
Higher temperatures, stronger Santa Ana winds, and erratic rainfall have fueled California’s recent wildfires. The January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires are recognized as the most damaging in Los Angeles history.
The Challenge
In January 2025, fires destroyed more than 55,000 acres, took 28 lives, and destroyed over 16,000 buildings. Two studies attribute climate change as an underlying factor behind the outsized ferocity of the two fires. Simply, California’s wildfires are growing more severe. It’s not just a climate problem but also a societal failure. We have not adequately prepared for fire’s inevitable return. Our chaparral-covered hills burn. Santa Ana winds visit every autumn and winter. They’re part of our ecosystem. We need to build our homes and design our communities – and prepare – in ways that are both ecologically-aware and technologically advanced. Smoke related injuries are also poorly addressed.
Solutions
Climate Resolve is working with many partners to strengthen capacity and resilience in fire-impacted communities. At the same time, we are advocating for California to increase investment in wildfire prevention and response – specifically, to establish local authorities to streamline complex recovery efforts; to create a dedicated fund to help homeowners rebuild to the highest wildfire-resilience standards; to implement a unified, cross-jurisdictional public alert system, and, looking forward, to create a Los Angeles County Resilience District that will help Angelenos stay ahead of the next series of natural disasters.
CURRENT PROJECTS
Think Big and Act Boldly
A breakthrough report from Climate Resolve, in partnership with Resilient Cities Catalyst (RCC), presenting actionable strategies to accelerate recovery from the Eaton and Palisades fires and reduce future wildfire risk.
Dena Hive Consortium
Made possible with funding from the California Community Foundation, convened by Altadena Town Councilmembers, and led by Climate Resolve as fiscal sponsor with Consortium membership of over 10 Altadena-based community groups, the initiative focuses on capacity building and deep, culturally competent outreach and engagement for fire-impacted community members in Altadena.
PAST PROJECTS
Blue Ribbon Commission
To support a more resilient and sustainable recovery from the 2025 LA County Wildfires, Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath convened an independent Commission made up of leading experts from diverse professional backgrounds who are volunteering their time to develop recommendations for Los Angeles County’s rebuilding effort. Climate Resolve Executive Director Jonathan Parfrey sits on the Commission. He brings his expertise and experience in building resilience projects to help the Commission make recommendations that are designed for broad applicability across LA County, ensuring a thoughtful, cohesive, and region-wide approach to rebuilding that prioritizes resiliency to natural hazards.
Population Movement Data Reveals Where People Went During and After the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Wildfires
Data captured by Data for Good at Meta reveals which communities received higher concentrations of evacuees from the 2025 Southern California Wildfire events.
The Vast Scope of Damage
Senior Technical Analyst Kristopher Eclarino compares the destruction caused by the Eaton and Palisades Fires to that of the World Trade Center to conceptualize the volume of hazardous pollutants produced by the fires.
Lessons from the Woolsey Fire Report
With support from Resilient Cities Catalyst and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Climate Resolve investigated how Californians responded to the Woolsey Fire.
Workers Confront Extreme Heat and Wildfire Smoke in California
Climate Resolve is pleased to publish Exhausted! Workers Confront Extreme Heat and Wildfire Smoke in California, an in-depth report on how climate change is impacting workers in the Golden State.