A recent study reveals climate change upped the probability of Southern California wildfires by 35%. As the city continues to recover from the recent blazing disasters, a critical focus shifts towards an evolving batch of climate adaptation startups, hoping to ease the future impact of such events.
With climate change providing the right conditions – excessive vegetation due to high rainfall, delayed rainy season, and potent Santa Ana winds, Los Angeles stands in a heightened fire zone. The study says these extreme conditions could reoccur potentially every 17 years.
The city’s habitats are designed to benefit from occasional, low-impact wildfires. However, increased urbanization and a lack of natural fire prevention have pushed human settlements deeper into these fire-adapted environments.
In such areas known as the wildland-urban interface (WUI), the removal of excess vegetation lies in the hands of homeowners who might be unaware of their role in wildfire prevention. Other areas with fewer settlements might employ prescribed burning, but this requires community cooperation and professional teams.
Startups like Vibrant Planet are engaging technology to tackle these issues. By providing a platform for users to evaluate wildfire risks through detailed analyses, they assist in creating plans for risk reduction involving multiple stakeholders.
Joining the effort are companies like Kodama, which modifies forestry equipment for remote use to affordably reduce wildfire fuel sources.
BurnBot, another innovator, has produced a remote-controlled machine that replicates a prescribed burn safely within its metallic shell. Any remaining flames or embers are extinguished by the device itself.
Despite such measures, Southern California isn’t entirely immune to wildfires. Hence, other startups aim to promptly detect and respond to fire outbreaks. Pano uses artificial intelligence (AI) to tap into various data sources to automatically spot new fires. Similarly, Google collaborates with Muon Space’s FireSat, which can image wildfires from space on a 20-minute basis.
FireDome, an Israeli firm, has devised an AI-based fire defense system to safeguard properties by deploying fire retardant-filled projectiles.
Moving forward, effective mitigation of wildfire risks would involve not just groundbreaking technology, but also traditional land management.
Original source: Read the full article on TechCrunch
