Identifying the actions that must be taken to mitigate the potentially catastrophic effects of global warming is part of the Hawaiʻi State Climate Commission’s annual conference, which highlights the state’s climate change initiatives and its many partners. The conference will be during Hawaiʻi Climate Week, January 9–12, 2023.
Climate Week is hosted by the Hawaiʻi State Climate Commission, University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant), Pacific Island Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC), Pacific RISA, the East-West Center and the Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute.
Darren Lerner, director of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, consortium director for PI-CASC and one of the conference organizers, said “The top scientists who have been working on climate change issues for decades will be joining forces with natural and cultural resource managers and policymakers during the inaugural Hawaiʻi Climate Week to address the most prominent challenges we are facing throughout our state and region, today and into the future. At PI-CASC we have been working with communities to identify the best pathways and tools to adapt to a changing climate in support of fish, wildlife, water, land, and people.”
PI-CASC Hawaiʻi Climate Adaptation Science Summit, January 10–11, focuses on climate adaptation science for managing changing conditions associated with drought and wildfire, integrated watersheds, and sea-level rise, as well as exploring researcher-manager-practitioner engagement and linking to human elements of climate adaptation.
Leah Laramee, Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation Coordinator with the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands, noted “Climate Week is a reflection of the cross-cutting collaboration it will take to address climate change. We are hoping that this is just the start, and climate collaboration and Climate Week will grow as will our capacity to work together to address climate change.”
All events are designed for in-person participation, and some will have the option of online viewing.
Hawaiʻi Climate Week agenda
Hawaiʻi Climate Action Day—Monday, January 9, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Participants can connect with leaders involved in climate change action in the state. Looking through the lens of natural solutions, we will explore the challenges and solutions of climate change in Hawaiʻi.
Youth Climate Summit—Monday, January 9, 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
The first Hawaiʻi Youth Climate Action Summit is open to youth from across Hawaiʻi who are passionate about organizing around and responding to the impacts of climate change on our communities and ecosystems. The summit will focus on identifying key levers for accelerating adaptation actions around topics such as climate justice, traditional and Indigenous knowledge and equitable policy. Participants will provide lightning talks around current initiatives and implementation gaps and form networks that can amplify needed actions.
Hawaiʻi Climate Adaptation Science Summit, Day 1—Tuesday, January 10, 12:30 p.m.–5 p.m.
Participants can join researchers, resource managers, officials, practitioners and other science users working on climate change impacts and adaptation for ecosystems and communities in Hawaiʻi and around the Pacific. Learn more about, and participate in discussions on climate adaptation science for managing changing conditions in three topical themes: drought and wildfire in the Pacific Islands, integrated watershed science, sea-level rise adaptation science.
Pacific Island Women Leaders at COP27: Outcomes and Ways Forward—Wednesday, January 11, 9:30 a.m.–11 a.m.
In November, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), which took place in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh, concluded with a historic decision to establish and operationalize a loss and damage fund, which Pacific Islands have been critical in advocating for. This discussion will feature an analysis of outcomes with four women from Hawaiʻi who attended the conference.
Climate Adaptation Planning and Implementation Peer Exchange—Wednesday, January 11, 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m. (Invite only, hosted by Pacific RISA)
Hawaiʻi Climate Adaptation Science Summit, Day 2—Wednesday, January 11, 12 p.m.–5 p.m.
20th Anniversary Hawaiʻi Energy Policy Forum—Thursday, January 12, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
For more information see Hawaiʻi State Climate Commission’s website.
