Mobilizing for a Safer, Healthier Future

Smoke exposure from large, high-severity wildfires is rising, and no U.S. community is safe. From 2011 to 2020, roughly 40,000 Americans died each year from smoke-related causes. That number is projected to increase by more than 70% by 2050 under a business-as-usual emissions scenario. Recent research out of Stanford paints a sobering picture of this trend: if emissions continue unchecked, wildfire smoke could kill 70,000 Americans/year by 2050 — over two million premature deaths over the next three decades.

California, with its vast natural landscapes and intensifying wildfire seasons, is at the heart of this growing public health crisis. In a moderate warming scenario, the state is projected to suffer over 5,000 additional smoke-related deaths each year — a devastating toll on families and communities. Beyond the heartbreaking human cost, the economic impacts ripple outward: smoke-related deaths alone could cost $608 billion annually by mid-century, surpassing the combined costs of all other climate-driven damages in the U.S.

But projections are not destiny. The investments we make over the next decade could dramatically reduce the health and economic costs of wildfire and make our communities safer. That's why the Sierra Business Council, The Nature Conservancy, and the Northern Sierra Partnership teamed up in June to launch the Wildfire Solutions Coalition.

To date, more than 50 organizations from around California – representing business, community, resource, and environmental interests – have joined the Coalition to confront California's wildfire crisis head-on. The Coalition’s goal is ambitious and clear: secure $2.5 to $3 billion in annual funding to implement the science-backed, regionally-informed wildfire resilience solutions identified by the state's Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force.

The Coalition has already proven its effectiveness. The Coalition entered September's legislative session with three clear priorities:

·      extend California’s Cap-and-Trade program through 2045,

·      protect $200 million in annual wildfire resilience funding from the Cap-and-Trade program, and

·      secure appropriation of Proposition 4 wildfire resilience funding.

In a year marked by budget shortfalls and competing legislative priorities, the Coalition was able to work with a broad community of allies to secure all three priorities before adjournment. This unlocked hundreds of millions of dollars in wildfire resilience funding for next year, with far-reaching benefits for communities across our state.

In 2026, the Coalition will continue to work to expand funding for wildfire resilience and nature-based solutions from the cap-and-invest program and from Proposition 4. The Coalition will also educate gubernatorial candidates about the efficacy of making targeted investment in wildfire resilience. 

Wildfire is a California-wide challenge that demands a California-wide solution. Every dollar secured for resilience is a life saved, a family protected, a community strengthened. With sustained investment, strong leadership, and a commitment to equity and science, we can meet this challenge head-on and protect the health of Californians for generations to come.

Learn more at https://wildfiresolutionsca.org/

Photos: Wildfire Smoke by Eldorado National Forest | Wildfire Solutions Coalition