A recent story published in The Fresno Bee raised eyebrows: It claimed that climate change trends are going to make the San Joaquin Valley increasingly dangerous to live in, which means homeowners insurance will become difficult and expensive to get. That, in turn, means home mortgage loans (which require homeowners insurance) will also become difficult to get. Consequently, nearly half of Fresno’s population would be forced to move away (and, apparently, Sacramento faces the same problem).
While there have been some skeptical reactions to this report, from the organization First Street, over the way its models predict long-term devastation for Fresno, it does make a few important points.
The report argues that climate change is exacerbating three dangerous trends: fire, wind and flooding, with flooding being the most destructive. Even if the magnitude of these threats is uncertain, we largely agree with the assessment that these are the biggest challenges the Central Valley faces (not just the city of Fresno)…