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Climate Change in Hawaiʻi

Pili Nā Mea a Pau (all things are related)

Monk Seal at French Frigate Shoals
An ʻīlioholoikauaua rests on a sandy islet washing away with the rising tide at Lalo (French Frigate Shoals).  PC: Koa Matsuoka NMFS Permit 16632

 

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PIRCA Climate Indicators
Climate Indicators. PC: Pacific Island Regional Climate Assessment
Climate Indicators. PC: Pacific Island Regional Climate Assessment

According to the 5th National Climate Assessment (https://nca2023.globalchange.gov/) prepared by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), "Communities throughout Hawaiʻi and the USAPI demonstrate Indigenous cultural and community resilience grounded in Traditional Knowledge as they continue to adapt to global changes, just as their ancestors have for millennia. These adaptations and the collective resilience of Indigenous communities are strengthened and sustained through reciprocal exchanges between the peoples and the lands, territories, waters, and resources to which they are genealogically connected. Resilient communities are vital to the overall health and well-being of island peoples. To effectively advance the science of sustainability and manage resources amidst the changing climate, spiritual rituals and engagements are central to biocultural well-being—the collective well-being of landscapes, seascapes, and Indigenous communities. Through these rituals and engagements, island communities individually and collectively are able to connect to the place and all of its life-forms, cultivating reciprocal relations that enhance future resource abundance based on responsibility rather than ownership. (Key Message 5, Chap. 30, Hawaiʻi and U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands).

 

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PIRCA Climate Impacts, Hawaiʻi
Climate Impacts on island communities. PC: Pacific Island Regional Climate Assessment
Climate Impacts on island communities. PC: Pacific Island Regional Climate Assessment

In Hawaiʻi, sea level rise and ocean acidification have affected nearshore fisheries, traditional practices (e.g., salt cultivation), fishpond maintenance, and caused extensive coastal erosion.  Drought has excerbated wildfire potential, increased damage by feral ungulates, caused loss of native plant species, and increased potential for soil erosion.  Extreme weather events have caused extensive flood damage to homes, businesses, roads and agricultural lands.  In addition to these direct effects, climate change impacts in the continental U.S. and elsewhere in the world have led to supply chain disruptions and other economic impacts, policy shifts, immigration, and public health concerns that also affect Hawaiʻi and the Native Hawaiian Community.

 

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