🌊 CLIMATE RESILIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
“Climate impacts are already affecting roads, homes, and infrastructure across Hawaiʻi.”
Hawaiʻi's natural beauty, unique ecosystems, and island communities are among our greatest treasures. From our coastlines and coral reefs to our forests, agricultural lands, and watersheds, our environment plays a vital role in our economy, culture, public health, and quality of life.
Yet our islands face growing challenges from sea level rise, coastal erosion, flooding, extreme weather events, wildfires, and aging infrastructure. These impacts threaten homes, businesses, public facilities, natural resources, and the communities that call Hawaiʻi home.
Building climate resilience means preparing today for tomorrow's challenges. By investing in infrastructure, protecting natural resources, strengthening disaster preparedness, and supporting sustainable practices, we can better protect our communities and ensure Hawaiʻi remains strong for future generations.
Why this matters:
PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR ENVIRONMENT, AND OUR FUTURE
Hawaiʻi is on the front lines of climate-related impacts. Coastal communities face erosion and flooding risks. Extreme weather events place additional strain on infrastructure and emergency services. Wildfires have demonstrated the devastating consequences of being unprepared.
At the same time, our island geography makes us heavily dependent on imported food, fuel, and essential goods. Strengthening resilience means protecting not only our environment but also our food security, energy security, and economic stability.
The cost of inaction will be far greater than the cost of preparation.
MY PRIORITIES INCLUDE:
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Strengthen Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response: Improve emergency planning, evacuation readiness, communication systems, and coordination between state, county, and community partners to better protect residents during natural disasters and extreme weather events.
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Invest in Resilient Infrastructure: Upgrade roads, drainage systems, utilities, schools, public facilities, and critical infrastructure to better withstand flooding, storms, sea-level rise, and other environmental challenges, while protecting taxpayers from costly future repairs.
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Increase Local Food Security Through Agriculture: Support local agriculture, aquaculture, and food production initiatives that reduce Hawaiʻi's dependence on imports, strengthen food security, and create new economic opportunities for local families.
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Protect Natural Resources and Reduce Environmental Risks: Invest in watershed restoration, shoreline protection, invasive species management, wildfire prevention, and conservation efforts that safeguard communities while preserving Hawaiʻi's unique environment for future generations.
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Advance Clean Energy and Innovative Technologies: Expand renewable energy production, improve grid reliability, and support emerging technologies that strengthen Hawaiʻi's energy independence, create local jobs, lower long-term costs, and build a more resilient economy.
PROPOSALS:
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Adopt science-based coastal planning that identifies high-risk areas and guides long-term land use decisions.
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Set enforceable deadlines for environmental cleanup projects to prevent delays that harm communities and increase costs.
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Expand investment in watershed protection, native ecosystem restoration, and natural climate buffers.
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Strengthen oversight of long-delayed pollution and contamination cleanup efforts, including military and industrial sites.
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Invest in expanding renewable energy and modernizing infrastructure to improve resilience to storms, flooding, and sea-level rise.
FACTS ABOUT HAWAIʻI'S RESILIENCE CHALLENGES:
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Sea level rise and coastal flooding continue to threaten homes, businesses, roads, and critical infrastructure throughout Hawaiʻi.
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Extreme weather events place increasing pressure on emergency response systems, public infrastructure, and local communities.
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Aging infrastructure creates additional vulnerabilities during storms, flooding events, and other natural disasters.
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Hawaiʻi imports the majority of its food and energy resources, making local production and resiliency planning critical during emergencies.
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Natural ecosystems such as reefs, wetlands, forests, and watersheds play an important role in reducing climate-related risks while protecting communities and natural resources. Nature-based solutions can help communities reduce vulnerability to climate hazards.
MOVING FROM TALK TO ACTION:
Climate resilience is about protecting our families, our communities, and our future. It is about making smart investments today that reduce costs, strengthen preparedness, and safeguard the places we love.
I believe Hawaiʻi can lead through practical, achievable solutions that protect our environment while supporting economic opportunity and community resilience. By investing in preparedness, infrastructure, local agriculture, and the responsible stewardship of our natural resources, we can build a stronger, more resilient Hawaiʻi for generations to come.
