Having spent billions of dollars in a losing battle to control wildfires in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved nearly USD 1 billion in new spending aimed at stopping the blazes before they start.

California spent USD 3.4 billion on wildfire protection last year, more than quadruple of 15 years ago. But state officials have spent most of that money on extinguishing fires, a job that has become harder as fires have gotten bigger and hotter because of climate change.