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Hawaii’s Message At COP26: The World Must Move Beyond Zero Emissions

Anukriti Hittle // November 22, 2021

Hawaiʻi showcased its climate leadership by declaring at COP26 that net-zero greenhouse emissions is not enough — we must go below zero to save islands. As part of the U.S. Climate Alliance, Governor Ige brought 13 high-ambition coalition pledges to COP26, and showcased the state’s HI Impact Actions which illustrate Hawaiʻi’s commitment. 

Read about our coalition pledges addressing priority policy areas, and our own HI Impact Actions. Read more about Hawaiʻi’s presence at COP 26 and the Executive and Hawai’i ‘Ohana delegations that attended.  
  

What does resilience look like? Utilizing the power of nature to make Hawai‘i climate ready

Megan Gonsalves and Diana Lopera // June 29, 2021

The effects of climate change in Hawaiʻi are being felt mauka to makai, from the increasing wildfires ravaging our native forests in the highlands to the eroding beaches and deteriorating infrastructure along our coastlines. Hawaiʻi and other Pacific island nations are extremely vulnerable to climate change impacts for various reasons…

Uncloaking the Cost of Carbon: Applications in Hawaiʻi 

Robert Repetto and Anukriti Hittle // March 2, 2021

As the state’s Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission ponders its many mandates to coordinate action in Hawai’i, it is looking with interest at how to incorporate damages from greenhouse gases into public projects. There are many measures that the State of Hawai’i might adopt to reduce…

Clean, Equitable, and Resilient: Does Telework Check all the Boxes? (Hint: It Doesn’t)

Megan Gonsalves and Anukriti Hittle // January 26, 2021

2020 has been a year that many may liken to a dystopian novel, though instead of labeling workers as “alphas” “betas” “gammas” or “epsilons”, we have been deemed essential or unessential. While some might view essential workers as the lucky ones, the sacrifices made by them as they continue to work in highly social jobs in the midst of a pandemic are often overlooked…

Buses and Bikes and Things that Go: A Proposed Action Framework for Encouraging Active Transportation-Transit in Hawaiʻi 

Anukriti Hittle // October 20, 2020

If there is one thing that we can agree on about the pandemic it is that traffic has been a dream. Free flowing, sometimes even allowing motorists to actually go up to the speed limit, and traffic jams are almost an anomaly. Of course, the circumstances are far from ideal, but imagine a post-pandemic world…

A Cool Solution to a Hot Topic: Community Hubs can Address Climate Change, Mobility and Resilience in Hawaiʻi

Anukriti Hittle // August 20, 2020

Think about how a place that now stores single occupancy vehicles (aka a parking lot) can be transformed into hub of activity that brings options and amenities to all people—not just those who own cars. Imagine how this valuable land could be used for transit, bikes, bikeshare, carshare, e-bike and e-freight parking, electric vehicle charging, drones, AVs…

Read a summary of this piece in the HDOT Newsletter (March 2021) here.

Going, Going, Almost Gone: Hard Truths About the Future of Hawaii’s Beaches

Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands Staff // July 17, 2020

We’ve reached a tipping point in which near complete loss of beach resources is a realistic future if shoreline management practices are not significantly altered. The root of the issue stems from the fact that many beach-front homes sit atop coastal sand berms. These berms were formed in centuries…

To read more about preserving Hawaii’s beaches, check out this paper on regulating coastal armoring!

Teleworking in Paradise: Benefits for a Better Normal 

Anukriti Hittle and Casey Ambrose // June 5, 2020

Compared to other first world countries, American workplaces employ notoriously strict policies when it comes to allowing for flexible working conditions such as maternity leave, vacation, and teleworking. Not surprisingly, the typical American office has barely changed for nearly a century. Until COVID-19 changed everything, including how we work…

Read a summary of this piece in the HDOT Newsletter (July 2020) here.

A Tale of Three States: Climate Ready Hawai‘i  Initiative Looks to California, Delaware and Massachusetts

Anukriti Hittle // May 22, 2020

Hawai‘i is facing grave impacts from climate change and sea level rise and must adapt quickly. At the statewide 2020 Climate Change Conference in January, one thing became clear: Hawai‘i needs to be doing more and doing it fast. Scientists, community leaders, climate activists, artists, and policymakers from around the country discussed how Hawai‘i can build on its progress…

A Carbon Tax for Hawai‘i : The Good, the Necessary and the Palatable

Anukriti Hittle // April 2, 2020

Economists at the IMF say a carbon tax is the single most powerful way to combat climate change. Some say economists are out of touch with the “real world” –and that’s probably true. But Hawaii’s state Senate, which surely is in touch, has actually passed carbon tax legislation…

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