Publication: Los Angeles Times 

UCLA Expert: Stephanie Pincetl, California Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLA and UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability 

Synopsis: A judge pauses a luxury development project due to wildfire risk and evacuation concerns. This represents a shift in approach and thinking related to climate-related disasters and human expansion. 

UCLA News: Stephanie Pincetl applauds the ruling, and is hopeful it can be a turning point. “The orders reflect a growing realization that developers simply can’t continue to push into unoccupied areas without dramatically increasing fire risk, especially as climate change-fueled warming and drying has primed more land to burn more intensely. I think it’s showing that people are beginning to understand that land use patterns of the past are not ones we can continue to practice.” 

Read more at Los Angeles Times.