When climate change adaptation becomes a “looming threat” to society: Exploring views and responses to California wildfires and public safety power shutoffs

Abstract

Communities worldwide will increasingly be called upon to bear the burden of the direct impact of climate change, and also the externalities associated with avoiding the worst. This begs the question: How do we protect the well-being of populations living with climate impacts without causing unintentional harm via poorly planned or managed adaptation actions? This Perspective presenting an exploratory pilot study surveyed populations affected by the historic and unprecedented widespread public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) to mitigate the risk of wildfires by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE) in October and November 2019 that left millions without power. The results suggest that PSPS likely represents a ‘looming threat’ that is associated with reported poorer recent physical and mental health, exacerbated by self-reported trauma lingering from previous experience with wildfires, especially among the most vulnerable. This threat is apparently most acute in northern California, where people experienced greater widespread shutoffs, more recent experience with devastating wildfires, and expressed anger toward how their utility contributed and responded to recent wildfires. Despite this, people are largely supportive of PSPS as an important way to reduce the bigger risk of wildfires, even as they report suffering from this adaptation measure. These results suggest that people understand and are sympathetic regarding the need for PSPS; yet without holistic consideration of the consequences of climate adaptation, unintended health impacts may arise.