January’s devastating wildfires in Southern California have led two Democratic lawmakers to reintroduce a bill that would try to alleviate the nation’s home insurance crisis.

Throughout the United States, insurance companies have been pulling coverage from existing customers, bumping up the price of premiums, or have stopped providing insurance in some areas because of increased extreme weather risks.

In wildfire-prone California, many have either been unable to afford insurance policies or have been unable to find appropriate cover, leaving their properties unprotected and preventing them from accessing much-needed funds to rebuild their lives.

According to the Los Angeles Times, LA Rep. Maxine Waters and Sherman Oaks Rep. Brad Sherman have reintroduced the Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act, which previously passed through the House Financial Services Committee but was never sent up for a vote in front of the House.

The bill would call on the Government Accountability Office to “examine the availability and affordability of home insurance in fire-prone areas,” the Times noted.

“Over the years, we’ve watched insurance companies raise premiums, reduce coverage, and abandon wildfire coverage in high-risk areas altogether,” Waters told the Times. “This leaves families and businesses throughout the state of California without the resources they need to recover.”

Sherman added: “The devastating fires in my district and the Greater Los Angeles area underscore the need for Congress to focus on the availability and cost of fire insurance coverage.”

Extreme weather events like wildfires, hurricanes, and deadly storms are becoming more intense, more likely, and more frequent because of rising global temperatures.

According to the World Meteorological Organization, total carbon dioxide pollution was estimated to have increased in 2024 compared to 2023, rising from 40.6 billion tons to 41.6 billion tons.

Of the 2024 carbon pollution figure, the Global Carbon Budget suggested that 37.4 billion of this planet-warming gas was created from the burning of dirty fuels like coal, gas, and oil.

This emphasizes the need for us all to embrace renewable energy to reduce the risk of these disastrous weather conditions. Installing domestic solar panels can cut our reliance on the wider energy grid, which is still mostly reliant on dirty fuels. Meanwhile, swapping an internal combustion engine car for an electric one — or simply using a car less — can slash demand for and use of gasoline and diesel.

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