California’s on fire. Pay attention, world

California is in a state of emergency. A series of wildfires, fanned by extraordinarily heavy winds, have swept through the state, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes. How did things get so bad in California, so quickly? The answer is climate change. It is here and our communities are not ready for it. It’s clear that conditions are getting worse throughout the state. Five of California’s 20 deadliest wildfires have occurred during the last two years. And 10 of the 20 most destructive wildfires, in terms of structures lost, occurred over the last 10 years.

It’s also woefully apparent that the state’s infrastructure cannot handle this new normal. Power outages left many regions without cellular service, emergency information, traffic lights or the other essentials of a functioning community.

California has to retrofit itself to make communities more resistant to wildfires. That will mean, for example, making sure buildings are fire resistant and burying power lines in high-fire-risk areas when feasible, and developing microgrids that can provide backup power.

But the wildfires are just the beginning of what Californians can expect. The state will have to contend with more floods, coastal erosion and deadly heat waves. Intense weather will overwhelm existing public and private infrastructure unless we adapt now and build more resilient communities. Climate change is at our doorstep. The rest of the world should be paying attention.