Adapting to Climate Shocks: Evidence from California Wildfires

Wildfires are destructive and traumatic and are predicted to become more common and costly with global warming. Climate models find that migrating away from high-risk areas is the best way to minimize damage. Doctoral student in economics Victoria Wang will investigate whether and to what extent people are moving after experiencing wildfires in California. She will analyze data from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the University of California Consumer Credit Panel, Infutor, and FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program as well as FEMA risk assessment scores for her study.