The recent forest fires of Los Angeles are the most destructive in the history of the region. More than two dozen people have died and tens of thousands have fled their homes. The damage also extends beyond our species: according to A surveyAlmost half of the evacuees of a disaster or emergency leave behind at least one pet. Wild animals also die or flee their habitats during natural disasters, often without having to go.
Fortunately, people are taking a step forward to help. Organizations are working tirelessly to rescue animals and, as local shelters reach their capacity, some organizations take animals to nearby states; For example, beneficial organizations Best Friends Animal Society and Wings of Rescue moved more than 80 dogs and cats From Los Angeles County to Utah.
Forest fires and these responses are a reminder that human and animals are linked, partly due to the effects of human activity. We might think that we should leave animals alone, but that ship already sailed: Los Angeles, for example, is the home of innumerable animals and interacts with them all the time, both directly, through animal control, and indirectly, to through environmental management.
The effects that infrastructure can have on animals are particularly important and careless. After all, our built environment determines where animals can live and how they can behave, both in normal times and during emergencies, including forest fires. We should ask ourselves: while we work to make our infrastructure more resilient and sustainable against climate change, how can we also make it more safer for animals?
I spent a year working with a team of experts to investigate how cities and other local actors can improve their infrastructure for humans, animals and the environment at the same time. This project culminated with a detailed Politics report Directed by the Legal Academic Alisa White, which describes a series of co-beneficial and low-cost solutions that cities should consider and that they could quickly achieve. Below are some examples:
- Build with birds with birds. Hundreds of millions of Birds die every year In building collisions, because glass is difficult to see for birds. As cities update construction codes to achieve energy efficiency, they can also aspire to reduce collisions. For example, it may require that new constructions and important renovations use safe glass for birds, which uses coatings and patterns that are more visible to birds and less visible to humans. Many cities already require a bird -friendly design for certain properties, including At least 10 in California. Others should do the same.
- Improve road design. Transitated streets, often excessively congested, can increase collisions between vehicles and animals, fragment the habitats of wildlife and alter migratory patterns. As cities update their transport systems to achieve energy efficiency, they can consider the construction of high or underground steps to reduce collisions and explore exclusive pedestrians to mitigate air pollution and noise and at the same time encourage walking and walking Bicycle. The passingocalifornia year announced That the largest wildlife crossing in the world, which will provide a safe step through 101 in Los Angeles County, will open with philanthropic support in 2026. This can be a model for development everywhere.
- Improve green infrastructure. Green ceilings, rainy gardens and bioswales (channels that collect, direct and filter the junction of rainwater) can capture water and relieve the heat island effect that raises temperatures in areas with a lot of cement. Incorporating plants into this infrastructure can also make a difference. Los Angeles has been praised as “sponge city“For your focus on water collection. In the future, angels and other cities can also select plants for food and habitat of wild animals as part of the development.
- Improve grass maintenance. Céspedes and monocultures offer limited habitat for animals, and gardening equipment that operates with gas increase air pollution and noise. The change to naturalized Céspedes can create habitat corridors for birds, insects and other animals and, at the same time, reduce the use of disruptive equipment. These Céspedes are becoming increasingly popular in CaliforniaAnd the State has prohibited the sale of new gas gardening equipment. These and other similar changes can benefit both animals and humans.
- More importantly, cities can establish an animal welfare office, as New York did in 2019. The city has also He made progress In recent years about infrastructure (such as construction policies with birds), wildlife management (for example, non -lethal management policies of deer and geese) and other various issues. This progress illustrates that it is easier to find cobenefic solutions for human beings, animals and the environment when policy formulators create an official mechanism to consider animal welfare.
Of course, these proposals are only starting points. Each city has its own social, political, economic and ecological context and will need to adapt the policies accordingly; for which it will include an approach in both fires and floods to mitigate the risks associated with your “Hydroclimatic whip. We also have much to learn about how to protect humans and animals at the same time. Even if we somehow made all the right decisions, many animals would continue to suffer and die because of our extreme impact on the environment.
Even so, we must avoid the perfect enemy of the good. We need to adapt to climate change now and, in doing so, we must also consider animals. As we know for forest fires, every saved life is a victory, but individual rescue is not enough. By building a respectful infrastructure with animals, we can incorporate compassion by animals in the basic structures of our shared society.
Jeff Sebo is an associate professor of Environmental Studies, Director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection and director of the Center for the Mind, Ethics and Policies of the University of New York. His last books are “saving animals, saving ourselves” and the next “the moral circle.”
