Michael Wara
@michaelwara.bsky.social
Works at Stanford on equitable climate and energy law/policy with a big helping of wildfire and insurance.
North Pacific from Dipsea Trail on Mount Tamalpais today.
November 24, 2025 at 3:40 AM
North Pacific from Dipsea Trail on Mount Tamalpais today.
Yesterday, the CEPP team made the trek down to San Luis Obispo for a tour of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. I can’t recommend the tour enough for anyone interested in energy, abundance, or just California history.
Thank you to the whole DCPP team and to PG&E legal for setting it up.
Thank you to the whole DCPP team and to PG&E legal for setting it up.
November 21, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Yesterday, the CEPP team made the trek down to San Luis Obispo for a tour of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. I can’t recommend the tour enough for anyone interested in energy, abundance, or just California history.
Thank you to the whole DCPP team and to PG&E legal for setting it up.
Thank you to the whole DCPP team and to PG&E legal for setting it up.
Fig 8 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show 2024-2025 spending in 4 key categories of wildfire related spend (1) CalFire resource management; (2) CalFire suppression; (3) DOI and USFS fire suppression; and (3) California large investor owned utility wildfire mitigation spending.
November 17, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Fig 8 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show 2024-2025 spending in 4 key categories of wildfire related spend (1) CalFire resource management; (2) CalFire suppression; (3) DOI and USFS fire suppression; and (3) California large investor owned utility wildfire mitigation spending.
Fig 5 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show increases in home insurance costs by risk quintile in California. The hard truth is that if we burn down more houses, insurance is going to cost more. A lot more. Those costs are disproportionately borne by residents in high fire risk areas.
November 7, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Fig 5 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show increases in home insurance costs by risk quintile in California. The hard truth is that if we burn down more houses, insurance is going to cost more. A lot more. Those costs are disproportionately borne by residents in high fire risk areas.
Fig 3 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show structure loss over the past decade. We are lost more than 2000 homes per year in 5 of the last 10 years. That's too many houses burning down. We MUST do better if we want to have affordable electricity, affordable insurance, and affordable housing.
November 7, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Fig 3 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show structure loss over the past decade. We are lost more than 2000 homes per year in 5 of the last 10 years. That's too many houses burning down. We MUST do better if we want to have affordable electricity, affordable insurance, and affordable housing.
I was talking to a utility researcher the other day who asked me what was on fire out the plane window on the way from Portland where she lives to LA for the SCPPA meeting we were at.
Answer: that is all GOOD FIRE!
Answer: that is all GOOD FIRE!
November 5, 2025 at 10:15 PM
I was talking to a utility researcher the other day who asked me what was on fire out the plane window on the way from Portland where she lives to LA for the SCPPA meeting we were at.
Answer: that is all GOOD FIRE!
Answer: that is all GOOD FIRE!
Fig 2 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show smoke days by county in California on average over the past decade and for 2024. There is no future without wildfire smoke. The future CAN be one where we accept the reality of smoke EMISSIONS but actively manage the harms from smoke EXPOSURE.
November 5, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Fig 2 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show smoke days by county in California on average over the past decade and for 2024. There is no future without wildfire smoke. The future CAN be one where we accept the reality of smoke EMISSIONS but actively manage the harms from smoke EXPOSURE.
Fig 1 from our Year in Fire report. This figure is our attempt to measure and separate “good” low to moderate severity fire from “bad” high severity fire in California. We need more of the green in CA - as much as 4 million acres a year - but less of the blue. That’s the landscape fire challenge.
November 4, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Fig 1 from our Year in Fire report. This figure is our attempt to measure and separate “good” low to moderate severity fire from “bad” high severity fire in California. We need more of the green in CA - as much as 4 million acres a year - but less of the blue. That’s the landscape fire challenge.
Giving my talk at Red Sky Summit. Always so intimidating to speak to this mix of fire chiefs, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and landscape managers. But also such an honor. Grateful to the conference organizers for the opportunity.
November 4, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Giving my talk at Red Sky Summit. Always so intimidating to speak to this mix of fire chiefs, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and landscape managers. But also such an honor. Grateful to the conference organizers for the opportunity.
It’s hard not to feel a little sad when your kids are going to parties on Halloween instead of dressing up to walk around the neighborhood with you.
Parents with young kids out there, appreciate the days and moments like this one. They will pass faster that you can believe is possible.
Parents with young kids out there, appreciate the days and moments like this one. They will pass faster that you can believe is possible.
November 1, 2025 at 12:54 AM
It’s hard not to feel a little sad when your kids are going to parties on Halloween instead of dressing up to walk around the neighborhood with you.
Parents with young kids out there, appreciate the days and moments like this one. They will pass faster that you can believe is possible.
Parents with young kids out there, appreciate the days and moments like this one. They will pass faster that you can believe is possible.
Love this figure from a recent LBL report by Ryan Wiser and colleagues.
Report is here: eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/defaul...
Report is here: eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/defaul...
October 31, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Love this figure from a recent LBL report by Ryan Wiser and colleagues.
Report is here: eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/defaul...
Report is here: eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/defaul...
The view from Blithedale Ridge this morning.
October 29, 2025 at 5:44 PM
The view from Blithedale Ridge this morning.
Woah. Jamaica. Poor Jamaica.
October 25, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Woah. Jamaica. Poor Jamaica.
October 24, 2025 at 4:54 AM
Listening to Alice Reynolds of the CPUC talk and she just showed this cartoon which is a keeper:
October 18, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Listening to Alice Reynolds of the CPUC talk and she just showed this cartoon which is a keeper:
Highway 120 through the Yosemite High Country closed with the storm the last few days. I love thinking about places like this under the snow with nobody around - one of the best things to do in winter.
Good summer times at Pothole Dome. A strong swimming recommend for those who haven’t been.
Good summer times at Pothole Dome. A strong swimming recommend for those who haven’t been.
October 15, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Highway 120 through the Yosemite High Country closed with the storm the last few days. I love thinking about places like this under the snow with nobody around - one of the best things to do in winter.
Good summer times at Pothole Dome. A strong swimming recommend for those who haven’t been.
Good summer times at Pothole Dome. A strong swimming recommend for those who haven’t been.
May she rest in peace.
Met her once. A person with incredible vision, compassion, and intelligence.
Met her once. A person with incredible vision, compassion, and intelligence.
October 1, 2025 at 10:31 PM
May she rest in peace.
Met her once. A person with incredible vision, compassion, and intelligence.
Met her once. A person with incredible vision, compassion, and intelligence.
Here’s hoping that this week’s storms can put California fire season to bed for the year. 🤞🤞🤞
Nice to see a few RX fires starting to pop up on @watchduty.org as the conditions shape up for fall. Thank you burners! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
Nice to see a few RX fires starting to pop up on @watchduty.org as the conditions shape up for fall. Thank you burners! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
September 29, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Here’s hoping that this week’s storms can put California fire season to bed for the year. 🤞🤞🤞
Nice to see a few RX fires starting to pop up on @watchduty.org as the conditions shape up for fall. Thank you burners! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
Nice to see a few RX fires starting to pop up on @watchduty.org as the conditions shape up for fall. Thank you burners! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
Now that is a static cone that I can get behind.
September 28, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Now that is a static cone that I can get behind.
Fujiwara effect gonna have a big news week.
September 25, 2025 at 6:21 AM
Fujiwara effect gonna have a big news week.
September 23, 2025 at 4:03 AM