Unnatural Disasters: How the State Makes Wildfires Bigger and Deadlier
From Mises Media by Mises Institute
May 8, 2026 · Episode 4
About this episode
Connor O'Keeffe discusses how government actions have exacerbated California's wildfire crisis.
Connor O'Keeffe argues that California's wildfire crisis is not simply a climate story but a government failure story. The state has monopolized nearly all wilderness land, refused to manage it adequately, and then distorted insurance markets to push more people into high-risk fire zones, making fires both larger and more deadly than they would be under a private property regime with real liability. Recorded in San Diego, California, on April 25, 2026.
People in this episode
Guest: Connor O'Keeffe
Topics covered
- wildfires
- government failure
- climate change
- property rights
- insurance markets
Keywords
- wildfires
- California
- government failure
- insurance
- climate crisis
Mentioned in this episode
Places: California, San Diego, California
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- How to Change the World: Entrepreneurship versus Politics · May 7, 2026
- How Democratic Socialism Created California’s Housing Crisis · May 7, 2026
- What Happened to the University of California? · May 7, 2026
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