HI Climate

HI Climate http://climate.hawaii.gov/
The HI Climate page is a window into the work of the state of Hawaii’s

The Puakō Wastewater Project — A Lesson in Persistence and Community 🌊🤝For the last decade, the Puakō community has been...
09/16/2026

The Puakō Wastewater Project — A Lesson in Persistence and Community 🌊🤝

For the last decade, the Puakō community has been working to create a viable alternative to cesspools. 🏝️ As a coastal community located on Hawaiʻi Island, they see the destructive impacts wastewater has on coastal ecosystems — right in their backyard. 🐠🪸

Cesspool systems release raw, untreated sewage where their sewer line ends. 🚫💧 This facilitates the growth of invasive algae, introduces bacteria that are unsafe for humans, and much, much more. 🦠 Climate change, a driving force of sea level rise, will only make these effects more pronounced. 📈

The solution? A low-pressure system that reuses the water it treats, so that it can be used once more! 🔄✨ It works by pulverizing waste, allowing liquid to move to the top, and moving it through a small, 6-inch pipe. 🚰 These systems are cost-effective, easy to install, and can withstand flood events. 🌧️🛡️

They work particularly well in coastal communities, which means that implementation could occur across the Hawaiian islands. 🌺 Sustainable solutions like this emphasize how important it is to get involved, be an advocate, and care about your community. 🗣️💚 This isn't just a climate win for Puakō, it's a win for Hawaiʻi at large! 🎉🙌

🔗 Link to Article: https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/07/a-viable-cesspool-alternative-emerges-on-hawaiis-coasts/




09/15/2026

🌴 Looking for a specific climate change report in Hawaiʻi? 🌿

Interested in Hawaiʻi's latest initiatives and plans? 🌐

The Climate Change Commission provides a central hub with climate-related reports, documents, and tools from 2012 to today, all accessible to the public 📄🔍

Here’s a quick one-minute tutorial on how to find them ⏱️🎥


Who discovered the GREENHOUSE EFFECT? 🧪☀️On July 17, 1819, Eunice Newton Foote was born. Long before the term "greenhous...
09/15/2026

Who discovered the GREENHOUSE EFFECT? 🧪☀️

On July 17, 1819, Eunice Newton Foote was born. Long before the term "greenhouse effect" became common knowledge, Foote was the very first scientist to discover that carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbs heat from the sun and that changing its levels in the atmosphere could warm our planet! 🌡️🌍

Using a simple setup of glass cylinders, thermometers, and an air pump, she proved back in 1856 that CO2 traps heat far more than regular air. Her groundbreaking paper was the first physics study published by an American woman! 📜✍️

Though her story was overlooked for over a century, today we celebrate Eunice Newton Foote—a fierce advocate for women’s rights and the mother of modern climate science. Her discovery remains the foundation for how we understand and fight climate change today! 🌺🙌

Learn more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_Newton_Foote

and here: https://rinconeducativo.org/en/recursos-educativos/eunice-newton-foote-pioneer-greenhouse-research/


🤙

09/10/2026

🌏 Are people in your community talking enough about climate change? 💬

We asked Kanaka activist, practitioner, and leader Walter Ritte to share his manaʻo. 🌺

As our world continues to change 🌊🌱, how do we carry forward traditional knowledge? What can our ancestors teach us about caring for our people and our ʻāina today? 🌿🤲

💭 What does climate change mean to you? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! ⬇️

✨ Follow along for more conversations, insights, and lessons from community leaders—grounded in culture, ʻike, and action. 🌺🌎

Coral Reefs Have Insurance Now?💕 This is the nations' first coral reef insurance policy:The Nature Conservancy partnered...
09/01/2026

Coral Reefs Have Insurance Now?

💕 This is the nations' first coral reef insurance policy:
The Nature Conservancy partnered with the German company Munich Re paying up to to $2 million in damages when storms and hurricanes damage coral reefs. 💰

Why do we need insurance for coral reefs?
🌊 They slow down wave energy up to 97%, protecting our coastal communities.
🐠 They provide critical habitat to coastal fisheries
🏝️ They replenish the sand of our beaches and reduces coastal erosion.

🚨 Climate change threatens our coral reefs and insurance helps us rebuild them.

Impacts from Climate Change:
🌡️Increased temperature causes coral bleaching.
🩻 Ocean acidification weakens coral skeletons.
⛈️ Increased storms damage reefs.
☠️ Sediment & toxins from runoff degrades water quality.

💰 Lala triggered a $200,000 payout 💰

❤️‍🩹 The money will go monitoring research & repairing broken coral.

💔 It may not cover all the damage, but it is a critical first step.

This insurance provided money faster than any state or federal grant. 📈 The sooner restoration can begin; the less money is needed. 👀

https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/08/lala-triggers-nations-first-coral-insurance-payment/

🌀Is Hawaiʻi ready for the next big storm? 🌊With climate change intensifying tropical cyclones and rainfall rates, it's c...
08/28/2026

🌀Is Hawaiʻi ready for the next big storm? 🌊

With climate change intensifying tropical cyclones and rainfall rates, it's crucial to get storm-ready ⛈️

The Hawaiʻi Climate Action Pathways recommends fortifying homes and infrastructure with climate-smart designs, such as shade and permeable surfaces 🌿 🏠

Thanks to $4 million in Green Fee funding, the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency is piloting a hurricane-retrofit program to help residents strengthen their homes 🔨💪

What actions can you take?

🍱 👜 Pack a Go Bag: Stock 2 weeks' worth of water, food, medications, alternative power (batteries), and information (radio)

🏃‍♂️📋 Make a Family Plan: Record contact numbers, important locations, and evacuation procedures

🔒🏡 Protect your home: Consider hurricane insurance, secure doors, cover windows, and harden your home with clips

👇💡Discover more and start your preparation journey with these FREE resources!📚👇

📡 NOAA forecasts, alerts, and basic instructions
https://www.noaa.gov/hurricane-prep

📘 The Homeowner’s Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards created by Hawaiʻi Sea Grant
https://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/homeowners-handbook-to-prepare-for-natural-hazards/

🚨 Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency
https://dod.hawaii.gov/hiema/hurricane/

🌍 The Hawaiʻi Climate Action Pathways 2025 (Ch. 8)
https://climate.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Hawai‘i-Climate-Action-Pathway.pdf

Please comment and give everyone your best storm preparedness tips!

Join us in creating a resilient, storm-ready Hawaiʻi! 🌴💪

⛈️ Storms Increase the Spread of Invasive Species 🆘 Research shows strong connection between some invasive species spre...
08/28/2026

⛈️ Storms Increase the Spread of Invasive Species 🆘

Research shows strong connection between some invasive species spreading after storm events across the globe. Storms help invasive species spread by:

💨 High winds & flooding transports species. Rats and fire ants can spread to other areas by floating on debris.

🚢 Increased cargo shipments bring in invasive species. Relief supplies following storms can bring in new species.

🪾 Dead vegetation provides fuel and refuge for some invasive species, & clean up efforts can transport them to new areas. This is a concern for Coconut Rhinoceros beetles.

💔 Further degrades native ecosystems. Many invasive species, like Gini grass and haole koa, outcompete for space following storms.

🚨 Climate Change is Increasing the Frequency & Intensity of Storms ⛈️

What You Can Do: 💕
✅ Clear dead vegetation and dead trees before the storm.
✅ Keep your yard clear of invasive species.
✅ Learn more about local invasives and what they need to survive.
✅ Plant native species in your yard.
✅ Volunteer for community work days to remove invasives and plant natives.

🌱 Check out Plant Pono for ideas on what best grows in your yard! 👇👇👇

https://plantpono.org/

📚 Read more here! 👇👇👇

https://www.civilbeat.org/?p=1804768&utm_source=Civil+Beat+Master+List&utm_campaign=3e5d6959c4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_05_12_05_31_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-ec21c6ffa7-559309183&mc_cid=3e5d6959c4&mc_eid=9afe2178c5

https://scholarworks.umass.edu/entities/publication/c165ba5f-1989-40dc-aaca-ad80d2120f7b



08/27/2026

What does climate change mean for wildfire risk in Hawaiʻi? 🔥🏠

For Josh Atwood, the concern goes beyond the growing threat of fires—it’s about what happens to the people and communities living with that risk.

As wildfire risks increase across the islands, home insurance premiums are skyrocketing 📈—making it harder for local families to afford staying in the places they’ve called home for generations.

Climate change isn’t just altering our landscape. It’s changing the cost of living in Hawaiʻi and raising difficult questions about who will be able to remain here as these risks grow. 🌺

🎥 Watch Josh share what worries him most about the future of wildfire risk in Hawaiʻi.

💬 How are rising housing and insurance costs affecting your ʻohana? Let us know in the comments.

Article: https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/03/make-big-oil-pay-for-wrecking-hawaii-home-insurance/

The Big Island's Rare Anchialine Pools are at Risk 🚨As sea levels rise, coastal pools nestled on Big Island's lava beds ...
08/25/2026

The Big Island's Rare Anchialine Pools are at Risk 🚨

As sea levels rise, coastal pools nestled on Big Island's lava beds are changing. Known as anchialine pools, these brackish ecosystems are fed by groundwater but connected to the ocean. Though found in other places on Hawai'i, most are on the Kona Coast. 🌊🪨

Through Hawaiian history, these pools have been used for a variety of purposes - bathing royalty, drinking water, and keeping caught fish cool on warm days. 🐟🎣

These pools home several rare, endemic species, like the ʻōpae ‘ula, swimming crab and orangeblack Hawaiian damselfly.

However, breaching waves are bringing invasive fish into the pools, and flooding events allow for pollutant runoff to enter.

Many groups are working to protect the future of the pools. Hui Loko, a collective of 23 groups, are researching, collecting data, and spreading awareness.

Full article here: https://www.civilbeat.org/?p=1797778&utm_source=Civil+Beat+Master+List&utm_campaign=ff591409cc-
Credit to ʻōpae ‘ula picture: https://shrimpecosphere.com/




🚨 ON JULY 30, WE ENTERED ECOLOGICAL DEFICIT SPENDING.Earth Overshoot Day 2026 marks the date when humanity’s demand for ...
08/25/2026

🚨 ON JULY 30, WE ENTERED ECOLOGICAL DEFICIT SPENDING.

Earth Overshoot Day 2026 marks the date when humanity’s demand for biological resources officially surpassed what Earth’s ecosystems can regenerate in a single year. Currently, humanity is consuming resources 73% faster than the planet can replenish them—the equivalent of living off 1.73 Earths.

🌡️ What does this have to do with climate change?
Climate change is the direct symptom of ecological overshoot. The carbon footprint makes up the largest share of global overshoot. When we burn fossil fuels, harvest forests, and over-use land faster than nature can absorb the impact, greenhouse gases accumulate in our atmosphere—driving the extreme weather, warming oceans, and sea level rise impacting our islands today.

🏝️ Why it matters for Hawaiʻi:
As an isolated island state importing over 80% of our food and energy, global resource strain directly threatens our supply security, native ecosystems, and local cost of living.

🌿 How we :
By transitioning to 100% clean energy, strengthening local food systems, and restoring our native watersheds (mauka to makai), Hawaiʻi can lower its ecological footprint and build local climate independence.

📲 Check out Hawaiʻi’s Climate Action Pathways on our webpage to see what the Hawaiʻi state climate commission and our many partners are doing: climate.hawaii.gov

Read more here on Earth Overshoot Day: https://earth.org/earth-overshoot-day-2026/

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