A pair of California legislators and the state’s insurance commissioner are pushing a bill to create an early warning system for heatwaves.
California State Assembly Members Luz Rivas (D-San Fernando Valley) and Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), in partnership with California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, formally introduced legislation on Wednesday that would create a statewide advance warning and ranking system of extreme heat waves.
The system is being proposed to help save lives, reduce hospitalizations, and protect vulnerable communities, say those backing the legislation, which includes State Senators Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles) and Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles), who are principal co-authors of this legislation.
The bill also directs the California Department of Insurance to study the insured and uninsured costs related to past extreme heat waves in order to identify “insurance gaps” of uncovered costs and promote more effective risk communication and planning.
California has experienced record-breaking heat waves in recent years that are projected to increase in frequency and severity. In 2020, emergency room visits increased by 10 times the normal number during record-breaking heat as high as 121 degrees in Los Angeles County, according to the bill’s proponents.
The idea of ranking heat waves was first proposed by Lara and the California Climate Insurance Working Group, which issued a report in 2021.
“Extreme heat waves are the deadliest climate threat that California is facing today. With more heat waves forecast in the years ahead, it is essential to public health and safety that we help Californians prepare, especially our most vulnerable,” Lara said in a statement. “Giving advance warning and ranking these heat waves help us confront the growing threat of extreme heat with actions that people and communities can take to stay safe and healthy.”
AB 2238 directs the California Environmental Protection Agency to work in coordination with the California Department of Insurance and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research to create and implement a statewide extreme heat ranking system. Heat-wave ranking would include the projected health impact and meteorological data, such as maximum and minimum temperatures, as well as how long a heat wave is anticipated to persist.
The Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency at OPR would undertake a communications strategy and planning guidance for local communities in consultation with a variety of local stakeholders.
An early warning ranking system for heat waves would further empower local governments and communities to plan in advance and implement specific policies to reduce the impacts from the harshest heat waves, especially on vulnerable communities and those more susceptible to extreme heat.
Topics California Legislation Pollution
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