Wildfire Resiliency California Case for Change T 28 THE WORLD HAS SEEN AN INCREASE IN catastrophic wildfires that have caused loss of lives, massive economic impacts from the properties and structures destroyed, and negative impacts on our environment and ecosystem. A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey shows the greenhouse gas emissions from the 2018 California wildfires is on par with the entire year of equivalent emissions from all electricity generations combined feeding the needs of California. This condition is prevalent in t he western United States. Californians have increasingly experienced an unprecedented number of destructive wildfires that have threatened Californian lives, livelihoods, and communities. Each year breaks the record set in the previous year, with 2020 being the worst year on record. There were 10,000 fires burning 4.2 million acres and consuming 4% of all land in California. The statistics serve as a stark reminder that climate change is bringing more extreme weather with related impacts. Dry conditions increase wildfire danger. By mid-2021, the California drought condition has already seen a 26% increase in wildfire activity and a 58% increase in acreage burned compared to 2020 and is on a trajectory toward another record-breaking year. Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2021.3122730 Date of current version: 19 January 2022 ieeepower & energy magazine 1540-7977/22©2022IEEE january/february 2022 By Bill Chiu, Rajdeep Roy, and Thuan Tran © S H U T T E R S T O C K . C O M / S T E P H E N F I N N