News
Disaster Recovery Is a Delicate Act of Balancing Priorities
A year after wildfires, Maui is grappling with the challenge many communities face post-disaster: how to recover without worsening inequalities.
By Mathilde Augustin
Last Thursday marked the first anniversary of the catastrophic wildfires that ravaged Lahaina on Hawaii’s island of Maui. The blaze claimed more than 100 lives and left more than 12,000 people without housing.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
State of Play
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”