The recent Los Angeles wildfires were the most destructive in the region’s history. More than two dozen people died and thousands fled their homes. The damage extends beyond our species, too: According to a surveynearly half of evacuees who experienced a disaster or emergency leave had at least one pet. Wild animals also die or flee their habitats during natural disasters, often with nowhere to go.
Luckily, people are stepping up to help. Organizations are working tirelessly to rescue animals, and as local shelters reach capacity, some are taking animals to nearby states. For example, the charities Best Friends Animal Society and Rescue Wings relocated more than 80 cats and dogs From Los Angeles County to Utah.
Wildfires and these responses are reminders that the fates of humans and animals are linked, in part due to the impact of human activities. We might think we should leave animals alone, but that ship has already sailed – Los Angeles, for example, is home to countless animals and has always interacted with them directly through animal control and indirectly through environmental management.
The impact that infrastructure may have on animals is particularly important and overlooked. After all, we build environments that shape how animals can survive and how they behave during normal times and emergencies, including wildfires. We should ask: As we work to make our infrastructure more resilient and sustainable in the face of climate change, how can we also make animals safer?
I spent a year working with a team of experts to study how cities and other local actors can simultaneously improve infrastructure for people, animals and the environment. The project culminated in a detailed policy report Led by legal scholar Alisa White, the law describes low-cost, cost-effective solutions that many cities should consider and can implement quickly. Here are some examples:
- Constructed with bird-friendly materials. Hundreds of millions birds die every year In construction collisions, it is difficult to see the birds because of the glass. As cities make buildings more energy efficient, they can also reduce collisions. For example, they could use new structures and major renovations to use bird-safe glass that uses coatings and patterns that are more visible to birds and less obvious to humans. Many cities already require bird-friendly design for certain features, including At least 10 in California. Others should follow suit.
- Improve road design. Busy, often overcrowded streets can increase collisions between vehicles and animals, fragment wildlife habitat and disrupt migration patterns. As cities improve the energy efficiency of their transportation systems, they could consider building overpasses or underpasses to reduce collisions and explore pedestrian-only corridors to mitigate air and noise pollution while encouraging walking and bicycling. California last year Announce The world’s largest wildlife crossing will offer charity-backed safe passage in 2026. This could be a model for development everywhere.
- Improve green infrastructure. Green roofs, rain gardens and bio-plants (channels that collect, direct and filter stormwater runoff) can capture water and mitigate the heat island effect that drives higher temperatures in areas with heavier concrete. Incorporating plants into this infrastructure can also make a difference. Los Angeles is known as “Sponge City” because of its water collection methods. Moving forward, Los Angeles and other cities could also select plants for wildlife food and habitat as part of development.
- Improve lawn maintenance. Turf and monoculture lawns provide limited habitat for animals, while gas-powered lawn equipment increases air and noise pollution. Switching to naturalized lawns can create habitat corridors for birds, insects, and other animals while reducing the use of destructive equipment. These lawns are becoming Growing in popularity in Californiathe country has Ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered lawn equipment. These and similar changes can benefit both animals and humans.
- Basically, cities could create an office of animal welfare, as New York did in 2019. The city also has made progress In recent years, concerns have arisen regarding infrastructure (e.g., bird-friendly building policies), wildlife management (e.g., non-lethal deer and goose management policies), and a variety of other issues. Progress like this shows that it is easier to find common solutions for humans, animals and the environment when policymakers create an official mechanism that takes animal welfare into account.
Of course, these suggestions are just a starting point. Each city has its own social, political, economic and ecological environment and needs to adapt policies accordingly; for Los Angeles, focus will be on fires and floods to mitigate their “Hydrogen climate whiplash. “We still have a lot to learn about how to protect both people and animals. Even if we somehow make all the right decisions, many animals will still suffer from the extreme impacts we have on the environment.
However, we should avoid letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. We need to adapt to climate change now, and just like us, we should also think about animals. As we know from wildfires, every life saved is a victory, but individual rescues are not enough. By building animal-friendly infrastructure, we can embed animal compassion into the fundamental fabric of our shared society.
Jeff Sebo is associate professor of environmental studies, director of the Center for Environment and Animal Conservation, and director of the Center for Psychology, Ethics, and Policy at New York University. His latest books are “Save the Animals, Save Yourself” and the upcoming “Ethical Circles.”
