This is an I-Heart podcast.

This is Solvable. I'm Jacob Weisberg.

Many, many millions of gallons of retardants are used every year, right?

The iconic red stuff you see being dropped from planes.

In recent weeks, the Pacific Coast has faced devastating wildfires.

Because of climate change, uncontrolled fires have become increasingly frequent and increasingly destructive around the world,

from Australia to Brazil to Oregon and California.

But before they spread out of control, these fires often start in predictable places.

I mean, we found that 80% plus of the fires in California over the last 10 years have started

routinely in the same sorts of hotspots.

The familiar fire prevention strategies focus on giving fires less fuel by clearing flammable

materials from around the home, keeping gutters and drains clear, and cutting down dead and dying trees.

But as the planet grows hotter and fire seasons keep getting longer, we might be ready for a

higher tech approach, something like jello?

For the layperson, it looks and feels, I don't know, it's not as stiff as jello.

Eric Apple is a professor of material science and engineering at Stanford University. He and his team have designed a new, long-lasting fire retardant with a gel-like texture.

It's sprayed over known hotspots before fire start.

I believe that with the right technology in hand, this problem is solvable.

I asked Apple why he's so passionate about this idea.

He started by describing the sky outside his window.

Right now, if I look out my window, I see a very brown sky.

It looks like it's twilight, but, you know,

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