Michael Wara
@michaelwara.bsky.social
Works at Stanford on equitable climate and energy law/policy with a big helping of wildfire and insurance.
34 hours later, my family has made it to our happy place.
Have a great holiday everybody!
Have a great holiday everybody!
December 21, 2025 at 11:06 AM
34 hours later, my family has made it to our happy place.
Have a great holiday everybody!
Have a great holiday everybody!
Sitting at the gate at SFO looking up at the art and thinking, “that forest needs some thinning and a good prescribed fire!”
Maybe a sign it’s time for a vacation.
Maybe a sign it’s time for a vacation.
December 20, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Sitting at the gate at SFO looking up at the art and thinking, “that forest needs some thinning and a good prescribed fire!”
Maybe a sign it’s time for a vacation.
Maybe a sign it’s time for a vacation.
This is both long overdue and fantastic.
Next step: don’t kill firefighters. They are incredibly talented, hard working Americans, not cannon fodder.
Next step: don’t kill firefighters. They are incredibly talented, hard working Americans, not cannon fodder.
U.S. Will Pay $450,000 to Wildfire Fighters With Cancer www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
U.S. Will Pay $450,000 to Wildfire Fighters With Cancer
www.nytimes.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:44 PM
This is both long overdue and fantastic.
Next step: don’t kill firefighters. They are incredibly talented, hard working Americans, not cannon fodder.
Next step: don’t kill firefighters. They are incredibly talented, hard working Americans, not cannon fodder.
U.S. Will Pay $450,000 to Wildfire Fighters With Cancer www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
U.S. Will Pay $450,000 to Wildfire Fighters With Cancer
www.nytimes.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:40 PM
U.S. Will Pay $450,000 to Wildfire Fighters With Cancer www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
LA wildfires public health impacts:
What is the main finding?
Local residents experienced a 24% excess in pulmonary illness, a 46% excess in myocardial infarction, and a 118% excess in systemic illness requiring emergency medical attention.
What is the main finding?
Local residents experienced a 24% excess in pulmonary illness, a 46% excess in myocardial infarction, and a 118% excess in systemic illness requiring emergency medical attention.
December 18, 2025 at 11:20 PM
LA wildfires public health impacts:
What is the main finding?
Local residents experienced a 24% excess in pulmonary illness, a 46% excess in myocardial infarction, and a 118% excess in systemic illness requiring emergency medical attention.
What is the main finding?
Local residents experienced a 24% excess in pulmonary illness, a 46% excess in myocardial infarction, and a 118% excess in systemic illness requiring emergency medical attention.
How many Bay Area residents know this lamp made out of sea urchins?
December 18, 2025 at 5:32 AM
How many Bay Area residents know this lamp made out of sea urchins?
Reposted by Michael Wara
NCAR is the keystone in US atmosphere/weather/climate research. Physics doesn't care about politics, and floods, droughts, wildfires will continue to intensify. This is like sacking all of your doctors just as a pandemic gets started.
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 5:37 PM
NCAR is the keystone in US atmosphere/weather/climate research. Physics doesn't care about politics, and floods, droughts, wildfires will continue to intensify. This is like sacking all of your doctors just as a pandemic gets started.
Work-life balance goals for 26.
I’m convinced that it is now or never and want to be the guy who gets down on the floor with his grandkids to play.
(Picture teenagers cringing at breakfast table when I say things like this)
I’m convinced that it is now or never and want to be the guy who gets down on the floor with his grandkids to play.
(Picture teenagers cringing at breakfast table when I say things like this)
December 17, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Work-life balance goals for 26.
I’m convinced that it is now or never and want to be the guy who gets down on the floor with his grandkids to play.
(Picture teenagers cringing at breakfast table when I say things like this)
I’m convinced that it is now or never and want to be the guy who gets down on the floor with his grandkids to play.
(Picture teenagers cringing at breakfast table when I say things like this)
Jessica Yu from my team has a new paper out today with colleagues that covers smoke mortality from the LA wildfires.
There is additional mortality from wildfires than the people who are entrapped by the fire. This is especially true in heavily populated areas like LA.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
There is additional mortality from wildfires than the people who are entrapped by the fire. This is especially true in heavily populated areas like LA.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Contributions of Acute Wildfire Smoke Exposure to Excess Mortality from the 2025 Los Angeles Fires
In January 2025, a series of severe wildfires in Los Angeles County burned over 50000 acres, destroyed over 16000 structures, and caused 30 fatalities. These fires, driven by intense Santa Ana winds, ...
pubs.acs.org
December 16, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Jessica Yu from my team has a new paper out today with colleagues that covers smoke mortality from the LA wildfires.
There is additional mortality from wildfires than the people who are entrapped by the fire. This is especially true in heavily populated areas like LA.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
There is additional mortality from wildfires than the people who are entrapped by the fire. This is especially true in heavily populated areas like LA.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
This is a great post from Max. The only thing to add is that this kind of a comprehensible bill would do much to improve marital happiness for those of us who work in the electricity sector and have partners who do not. So selfishly, I am all in. Let Max and Chat GPT redesign the bill.
In this week's Energy Institute blog, Max Auffhammer's highly entertaining and also very serious take on redesigning electricity bills so customers can actually understand them. An important step in enabling demand flexibility. energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/12/01/a...
A Small Beautiful Bill
It would be nice if I could understand my energy bill. This is the time of the year where we are gathered around tables – mostly with loving family and tasty food- and then someone says…
energyathaas.wordpress.com
December 16, 2025 at 4:26 PM
This is a great post from Max. The only thing to add is that this kind of a comprehensible bill would do much to improve marital happiness for those of us who work in the electricity sector and have partners who do not. So selfishly, I am all in. Let Max and Chat GPT redesign the bill.
Less than 24hrs after a mass shooting, the leadership in Australia is having a serious conversation about how to strengthen already strict gun safety laws.
Such a stark contrast to our NRA driven discourse here.
Such a stark contrast to our NRA driven discourse here.
December 15, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Less than 24hrs after a mass shooting, the leadership in Australia is having a serious conversation about how to strengthen already strict gun safety laws.
Such a stark contrast to our NRA driven discourse here.
Such a stark contrast to our NRA driven discourse here.
Reposted by Michael Wara
There is really only one 2025 Climate-Insurance Policy Year in Review that you need to read, and you bet your ass @clicabedu.bsky.social has got it from the inimitable @jordanhaedtler.bsky.social right flippin here.
Read it or live with incurable FOMO.
climatecabineteducation.org/wp-content/u...
Read it or live with incurable FOMO.
climatecabineteducation.org/wp-content/u...
December 13, 2025 at 11:32 PM
There is really only one 2025 Climate-Insurance Policy Year in Review that you need to read, and you bet your ass @clicabedu.bsky.social has got it from the inimitable @jordanhaedtler.bsky.social right flippin here.
Read it or live with incurable FOMO.
climatecabineteducation.org/wp-content/u...
Read it or live with incurable FOMO.
climatecabineteducation.org/wp-content/u...
Preemption by executive order.
That’s a first.
Or maybe I forgot or didn’t pay attention to something or skipped a day in Con Law?
We are… still.. a nation of laws, not of men.
That’s a first.
Or maybe I forgot or didn’t pay attention to something or skipped a day in Con Law?
We are… still.. a nation of laws, not of men.
December 12, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Preemption by executive order.
That’s a first.
Or maybe I forgot or didn’t pay attention to something or skipped a day in Con Law?
We are… still.. a nation of laws, not of men.
That’s a first.
Or maybe I forgot or didn’t pay attention to something or skipped a day in Con Law?
We are… still.. a nation of laws, not of men.
The IBHS study is fascinating and grim reading. People questioning the value of veg management (zone 0) to protect communities should take a hard look at it. Preventing home ignition is a systems problem. Fix one thing (home hardening) but not the other (vegetation), you don’t get what you want.
Homes that had cleared vegetation within five feet of the walls were less likely to burn in the Eaton and Palisades fire, new investigation funded by the insurance industry finds: www.latimes.com/environment/... via @nohaggerty.bsky.social
Early adopters of 'zone zero' fared better in L.A. County fires, insurance-backed investigation finds
A new study found that in the Eaton and Palisades fires, homes that had already adopted proposed regulations on creating vegetation-free buffers were less likely to burn.
www.latimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:51 PM
The IBHS study is fascinating and grim reading. People questioning the value of veg management (zone 0) to protect communities should take a hard look at it. Preventing home ignition is a systems problem. Fix one thing (home hardening) but not the other (vegetation), you don’t get what you want.
Reposted by Michael Wara
Homes that had cleared vegetation within five feet of the walls were less likely to burn in the Eaton and Palisades fire, new investigation funded by the insurance industry finds: www.latimes.com/environment/... via @nohaggerty.bsky.social
Early adopters of 'zone zero' fared better in L.A. County fires, insurance-backed investigation finds
A new study found that in the Eaton and Palisades fires, homes that had already adopted proposed regulations on creating vegetation-free buffers were less likely to burn.
www.latimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Homes that had cleared vegetation within five feet of the walls were less likely to burn in the Eaton and Palisades fire, new investigation funded by the insurance industry finds: www.latimes.com/environment/... via @nohaggerty.bsky.social
I would argue that delaying these rules is a big deal. I disagree strongly with the word “force” in the headline. Look around in the WUI. We currently have laws and regulations that govern defensible space. But look around. Are homeowners “forced” to comply?
www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...
www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...
California delays wildfire rules that would force homeowners to clear vegetation
The controversial rules are meant to help protect homes from wildfires in certain fire-prone areas.
www.sfchronicle.com
December 11, 2025 at 8:04 PM
I would argue that delaying these rules is a big deal. I disagree strongly with the word “force” in the headline. Look around in the WUI. We currently have laws and regulations that govern defensible space. But look around. Are homeowners “forced” to comply?
www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...
www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...
Guys who start wars don’t get peace prizes.
U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast, Escalating Pressure on Maduro www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast, Escalating Pressure on Maduro www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast, Escalating Pressure on Maduro
www.nytimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Guys who start wars don’t get peace prizes.
U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast, Escalating Pressure on Maduro www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast, Escalating Pressure on Maduro www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
At what % capacity of batteries does the intraday energy arbitrage opportunity in California or Texas start to go away? Like what happened early on in ancillary service markets.
Batteries aren't the future; they're in the grids many states are building now. In a few years, storage has gone from a rounding error to double-digit capacity shares in AZ, NV, CA, TX, and others. The energy storage map is being redrawn a lot faster than people think.
December 11, 2025 at 12:56 AM
At what % capacity of batteries does the intraday energy arbitrage opportunity in California or Texas start to go away? Like what happened early on in ancillary service markets.
Reposted by Michael Wara
Batteries aren't the future; they're in the grids many states are building now. In a few years, storage has gone from a rounding error to double-digit capacity shares in AZ, NV, CA, TX, and others. The energy storage map is being redrawn a lot faster than people think.
December 10, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Batteries aren't the future; they're in the grids many states are building now. In a few years, storage has gone from a rounding error to double-digit capacity shares in AZ, NV, CA, TX, and others. The energy storage map is being redrawn a lot faster than people think.
Reposted by Michael Wara
Help shape fire and forestry policy. Join the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force in person or online for its public meeting on Friday, Dec. 12. 📅
Register to attend: 🔗 bit.ly/WFTF_DecMeet...
#ReadyForWildfire
Register to attend: 🔗 bit.ly/WFTF_DecMeet...
#ReadyForWildfire
December 9, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Help shape fire and forestry policy. Join the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force in person or online for its public meeting on Friday, Dec. 12. 📅
Register to attend: 🔗 bit.ly/WFTF_DecMeet...
#ReadyForWildfire
Register to attend: 🔗 bit.ly/WFTF_DecMeet...
#ReadyForWildfire
This video is well worth the time. It shows why we need an urgent innovation strategy in autos in the US. Walking back CAFE standards - or even the standards themselves - are not adequate. But also, it is a great illustration of why an undervalued currency can transform what is possible in exports.
Marques Brownlee’s review of the Xiaomi SU7 EV. This car is faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo S, well built, nicely designed, and is $42k.
This is why they put tariffs on Chinese EVs even though the best selling Lincoln sold in the US is made in China.
youtu.be/Mb6H7trzMfI?...
This is why they put tariffs on Chinese EVs even though the best selling Lincoln sold in the US is made in China.
youtu.be/Mb6H7trzMfI?...
Driving Xiaomi's Electric Car: Are we Cooked?
YouTube video by Marques Brownlee
youtu.be
December 8, 2025 at 4:54 PM
This video is well worth the time. It shows why we need an urgent innovation strategy in autos in the US. Walking back CAFE standards - or even the standards themselves - are not adequate. But also, it is a great illustration of why an undervalued currency can transform what is possible in exports.
Earned a silver star pulling drowning and wounded GIs out of the water at Omaha Beach… And a bronze star in Korea. Wasn’t allowed to vote in federal elections ‘til 54 and Maine elections ‘til 67.
Charles Norman Shay, Tribal Elder and World War II Hero, Dies at 101 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/u...
Charles Norman Shay, Tribal Elder and World War II Hero, Dies at 101 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/u...
Charles Norman Shay, Tribal Elder and World War II Hero, Dies at 101
www.nytimes.com
December 7, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Earned a silver star pulling drowning and wounded GIs out of the water at Omaha Beach… And a bronze star in Korea. Wasn’t allowed to vote in federal elections ‘til 54 and Maine elections ‘til 67.
Charles Norman Shay, Tribal Elder and World War II Hero, Dies at 101 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/u...
Charles Norman Shay, Tribal Elder and World War II Hero, Dies at 101 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/u...
The highway exit by my house at high tide yesterday. But the full moon sure was pretty.
The Bay took over the highway during this morning's #KingTides in Marin.
December 6, 2025 at 7:14 AM
The highway exit by my house at high tide yesterday. But the full moon sure was pretty.
OC Chief Brian Fennessy got the job as the first national wildland fire service chief!
Chief Fennessy is a superb and experienced leader. I’m excited to see what he will do as the first head of the NWFS. We are lucky to have him in that role.
Chief Fennessy is a superb and experienced leader. I’m excited to see what he will do as the first head of the NWFS. We are lucky to have him in that role.
December 6, 2025 at 4:03 AM
OC Chief Brian Fennessy got the job as the first national wildland fire service chief!
Chief Fennessy is a superb and experienced leader. I’m excited to see what he will do as the first head of the NWFS. We are lucky to have him in that role.
Chief Fennessy is a superb and experienced leader. I’m excited to see what he will do as the first head of the NWFS. We are lucky to have him in that role.