Hawaiʻi Climate Week 2024
Mahalo nui loa to all our partners, speakers, organizations, and attendees for a successful and informative Climate Week! From our movie night and panel to our Climate Conference, many great conversations were fostered and new friends were made. We are inspired by everyone’s participation and passion towards addressing the urgent issue of climate change and hope that Climate Week 2024 was helpful in bringing all these initiatives together!
If you missed the climate conference, recordings with timestamps are available below, as well as some links to the information mentioned in each session.
climate week 2024 Overview
Read below about this year's climate week!
We held a free film screening of Keeper of the Bay on Monday, March 25th at Waiwai Collective. Keeper of the Bay is a documentary film about marine conservation through the eyes of a native Hawaiian woman as she struggles to continue a family bay keeping legacy. Following the film, we had a panel discussion with guest speakers Lisa Bishop and Stuart Coleman. Lisa is close friends with the star of the documentary, Cindi Punihaole, and was in the documentary herself. She is also the president of the Friends of Hanauma Bay nonprofit that works in areas from advocacy to conservation to protect Hanauma Bay and other natural resources like it. Stuart is the executive director of WAI (Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations). He is also very active in advocacy and conservation by promoting wastewater alternatives to cesspools, which are heavy pollutants harmful to our oceans. With around 50 attendees, we were able to facilitate great discussions about what cesspools are, how they are harmful to our planet, and what can be done to combat this issue.
March 27-28: Climate Conference
This year’s Climate Conference at the Imin Conference Center at the East-West Center was a collaboration between the US Global Change Research Program, Pacific RISA, CCMAC, the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, PI-CASC, UH Mānoa CTAHR, and the USDA Southwest Climate Hub. It will feature the rollout of the Fifth National Climate Assessment and the official launch of CCMACʻs Comprehensive Climate Action Plan. The day began with a recognition of place by Malia Nobrega-Olivera, a wonderful speech by our guest youth speaker Mason Fong, and some words from Governor Green. Keep scrolling for more details on how the conference went! Click below to view the conference livestream on our Youtube Channel!
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- Jackie Keefe and Archie Kalepa Panel
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- NCA5 Author Panelists
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- Mason Wong Guest Speaker
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- Leah Laramee, Gov Green, Dawn Chang
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- Archie Kalepa
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- Post-movie panelists Stuart Coleman and Lisa Bishop
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- Climate Week Movie Night: Keeper of the Bay
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- People, Planet, Pau Hana Climate Week Side Event on March 28th
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- Ashley McGuigan introducing the Agroforestry session of the Climate Conference
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- Agroforestry session at the climate conference featuring the Agroforestry practitioners panel.
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- Agroforestry climate week workday
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- Agroforestry climate week volunteer workday
The Fifth National Climate Assessment Rollout was a success! Our wonderful NCA5 author panel were able to answer many audience questions, and guest speaker Dr. Jane Lubchenco gave an impassioned speech on the urgency of climate change and how the NCA works to explain the effects we are already seeing. The breakout groups at the end of this session spurred great conversation around all the main focuses of the National Climate Assessment and was a great way to kick off the conference.
March 27th 1:30pm-4:30pm: Climate Action Day
Climate Action Day featured the launch of the state’s Climate Action Plan (CAP). There were also powerful words from Lahaina guest speakers Archie Kalepa and Jackie Keefe. See the above link to watch this session!
The Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) hosted a Graduate Scholars Symposium focused on emerging scientists working towards climate adaptation. We had wonderful presentations from graduate students on topics from forest restoration, coral reef health, sea-level rise impacts and planning tools, and supporting development of sustainable sea transport. This event was followed by a student networking lunch session where graduates and professionals had the opportunity to answer questions from high-school students on their career paths and fields of work.
March 28th 1pm-4:30pm: Agroforestry and Climate Resilience: Challenges and Opportunities
The Agroforestry and Climate Resilience session brought together a diverse group of agroforestry practitioners, agency representatives, academics, and students to explore the role of agroforestry in climate change resilience. The session kicked off with keynote speaker Noa Lincoln discussing the history and future of agroforestry in Hawaiʻi. It was followed by a presentation on indigenous methods of caring for forests by Gina McGuire and two presentations on research being conducted by graduate students on equity in agroforestry. The session concluded with two panel discussions: one on practitioners of agroforestry and the other with local, state, and federal representatives providing resources to implement agroforestry projects.
Mahalo to our climate week side events
Sustainable Development Goals Short Film Series - March 25th, 26th, and 29th
Hosted by Maui County Office of Innovation and Sustainability
High Elevation Hawaiian Plant Communities - March 27th
Hosted by Pacific RISCC. Check out www.pacificriscc.org for more info!
MāLAMA ʻāINA HUI - MARCH 27TH
Hosted by Kauaʻi Climate Action Coalition, Zero Waste Kauaʻi, and KCC Sustainability & Hawaiian Clubs with assistance from Surfrider Foundation Kauai Chapter & Kauaʻi Compost
Kauai Resiliency - March 28th
Hosted by the Lihue Business Association.
People, Planet, Pau Hana: Sustainability Meetup - March 28th
Community workday at Puʻulani - march 29th
The restoration of Puʻulani is a partnership between Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi, a community-based organization in Heʻeia, and the University of Hawaiʻi. For more information about Puʻulani, please visit: https://kakoooiwi.org/.