How do you prevent wildfires? The science is settled

A firefighter douses flames as they push towards homes during the Creek fire in the Cascadel Woods area of unincorporated Madera County, California on September 7, 2020. JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images

We've known what we need to do for about 50 years, but inaction and climate change have made it much harder.

Between the COVID-19 pandemic and a brutal wildfire season, 2020 is all about the stuff we definitely knew how to prevent and just … didn’t want to. Today we’re going to zoom in a bit on those fires and get a little more hung up on the president’s income tax deferral. We’re gonna need a drink.

Here’s a list of everything we talked about today:

“I Need You to Care That Our Country Is on Fire” from New York Times Opinion
“They Know How to Prevent Megafires. Why Won’t Anybody Listen?” from ProPublica
This tweet from Richard Rubin
“Some Large Employers Reject Trump’s Payroll-Tax Deferral Plan” from The Wall Street Journal
“A puppy with a cleft lip is adopted by a boy with a cleft lip: ‘They instantly loved each other’” from The Washington Post
“New California law to make it easier for former inmate firefighters to turn pro” from NBC News

Thanks to everyone who joined us live on YouTube! Subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.

None of us is as smart as all of us.

No matter how bananapants your day is, “Make Me Smart” is here to help you through it all— 5 days a week.

It’s never just a one-way conversation. Your questions, reactions, and donations are a vital part of the show. And we’re grateful for every single one.

Donate any amount to become a Marketplace Investor and help make us smarter (and make us smile!) every day.