Opinion: Yes on Proposition 4 now or pay more later

Changing climate conditions are affecting our health, lives and economy. Just consider what San Diegans endured over the last year.

In recent weeks, a prolonged heat wave kept temperatures in the three-digit range, toxic smoke migrating from wildfires up north prompted air quality alerts, and area hillsides thick with dry brush caught fire. In January, nearly 1,200 people were displaced from flooding after 150 billion gallons of rain fell in six hours.

Natural disasters like these are expected to increase, putting this region at risk. Fortunately, many are working hard on proven solutions to these challenges along with rising sea levels and shrinking drinking water supplies.

Proposition 4 gives us a chance to invest in solutions now to prevent paying more when disaster strikes. This is why, as a scientist and a career firefighter, we urge you to support Proposition 4 on the November ballot.

To prevent wildfires and toxic smoke, Proposition 4 provides $1.5 billion to create fire breaks near communities, improve forest health, harden homes from wildfire, support specialized firefighting equipment, and deploy early detection and response systems. This is critical, considering four of the state’s top 20 deadliest wildfires occurred in San Diego County — destroying thousands of homes and filling the sky with smoke and ash.

To protect access to safe drinking water, Proposition 4 provides $3.8 billion to filter contaminants, recharge aquifers, rebuild crumbling water infrastructure and protect watersheds. California is the fifth largest economy in the world and it’s shameful nearly 3.3 million of us live without clean drinking water, where water systems might fail or could potentially fail. More than 36,000 are your neighbors here in San Diego.

Furthermore, Proposition 4 provides $1.2 billion to help communities confront rising seas and eroding beaches. San Diego’s coasts are projected to annually experience 20 days of high tide flooding by 2043 and at least 50 days by 2057. Investment in coastal habitat remains one of the most cost-effective ways to enhance storm protection and handle flood waters. San Diegans have pioneered natural protections, exemplified by the dune restoration at Cardiff State Beach and the wetland restoration at San Dieguito Lagoon. With many local beaches eroding 1 to 3 meters a year, more investments now can help shore up our communities and livelihoods that depend on the coastline.

Many local priorities are funded in Proposition 4, including $170 million for the Salton Sea Management Program, $73 million for the San Diego River Conservancy for watershed and wildfire resilience programs, and $50 million for watershed and water quality projects on the Tijuana and New rivers.

The longer we wait to take action on climate, the greater the consequences and costs.

A new era of megafires has begun. Nineteen of California’s top 20 largest wildfires occurred since 2000. Most burned since 2017, incinerating an area considerably larger than our major cities: equivalent to 17 Los Angeles, or 25 San Diegos, or 183 San Franciscos. From 2017 to 2021, wildfires caused over $100 billion in damages each year and $5 billion in costs to the state.

Wildfires don’t just threaten our communities. Our ability to breathe clean air is at stake. While a quarter of California has a very high or extreme fire threat and more than 25 percent of us live in these areas, wildfire risks impact us all because smoke travels great distances. A recent study found wildfire smoke exposure in California caused more than 50,000 deaths and $400 billion in economic damages between 2008-2018.

Our access to clean drinking water is also at stake. Water supplies are contaminated when watersheds are damaged by wildfire and migrating ash. In a jolt to 27 million Californians, state water officials announced advancing climate change could cause the State Water Project to reduce water deliveries by nearly a quarter over the next 20 years.

The good news is California knows how to tackle big challenges and we have the solutions to stop these conditions from spreading. Through Proposition 4, we can invest in them at scale to protect communities and local economies while keeping costs down for taxpayers and families.

For these reasons, we urge your support for Proposition 4. Let’s protect California and what makes it so special.

Engeman is an oceanography researcher and a member of the San Diego Sea-level Rise Working Group. She lives in San Diego. Anthony is a registered professional forester and former chief deputy director at CAL FIRE now working as a strategic wildfire consultant, and lives in South Lake Tahoe.