Documents and Reports

CategoryDateDocumentSummary
State Priority Climate Action Plan2024/3Hawai`i State Priority Climate Action Plan The PCAP outlines Hawai‘i’s priority measures to reduce GHG emissions and achieve climate change goals in a manner that is clean, equitable, and resilient. The seventeen (17) priority measures detailed in the PCAP address GHG reductions from 2025 through 2050.
State Adaptation Report2023Hawai`i Climate Change Report 2023 This annual report highlights the Commission’s progress made in 2023. It includes updates on funding, climate action projects, Commission member updates, and more.
Climate Change and Health Program Report2023Hawai`i Climate Change Health Report 2023 This report contains an update on the status of the Climate Change and Health Program in response to HCR 192 / HR 197.
State Adaptation Report2022Hawai`i Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report 2022 UpdateThis document contains updates to the Sea Level Rise Adaptation 2021 Annual Report as is mandated by Act 178. It includes progress made toward sea level rise adaptation goals and recommends focus areas for the next 5 years.
State Adaptation Report2021/12Act 178 Relating to Sea Level Rise Adaptation: 2021 Annual ReportThis report contains activities and progress related to the implementation of Act 178 Relating to Sea Level Rise Adaptation. It includes a discussion on an initial state facility inventory and exposure assessment, considerations for future assessments, and recommendations for next steps.
State Adaptation Report2021/4HDOT: Hawaii Highways Climate Adaptation Action Plan: Exposure Assessments (2021)This document is one of two resources that outlines the potential threats from climate change to Hawai‘i Highways. This Plan is a companion to the online mapping platform maintained on HDOT’s website to enable the review of climate threats at a level of detail not possible in printed form. That site is located at: https://hidot.hawaii.gov/ as this exposure assessment document goes with the accompanying web map viewer.
State Adaptation Report2021/5HDOT: Hawaii Highways Climate Adaptation Action Plan: Strategies for a More Resilient Future (2021)This document is one of two resources that outlines the potential threats from climate change to Hawai‘i Highways. This report contains 36 thematic recommendations mainly focused on programs, partnerships, and data. These recommendations are documented in Appendix A of the Climate Adaptation Action Plan.
State Adaptation Report2021/6Risks of Sea Level Rise and Increased Flooding on Known Chemical Contamination in Hawaiʻi (updated June 2021)This memorandum discusses potential environmental concerns posed by anticipated increased flooding, groundwater inundation and disruption of contaminated lands in coastal areas due to climate change and rising sea levels.
State Adaptation Report2021/4Nature-Based Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change in Hawaiʻi: A Climate Ready Hawaiʻi Working Paper (2021)While Climate Ready Hawai‘i initially focused on sea level rise (SLR) impacts, it became clear that this document must tackle mauka-makai (coastal and landward) issues, and so, go beyond vulnerability to infrastructure to fully address climate change impacts in Hawai‘i. This Working Paper highlights actions in Hawai‘i that rely on nature-based “green-blue” strategies to adapt to and mitigate climate change. It identifies ongoing efforts in the state, and key action areas for next steps that enhance climate readiness. We hope this document will be used by decision makers, planners, communities, businesses, and scientists as a guide for climate change resiliency work in Hawai‘i.
State Adaptation Report2020/10Guidance for Addressing Sea Level Rise in Community Planning in Hawai’i (2020)This guidance report assists local government planners to integrate sea level rise adaptation plans and policies into state, county, and community plans. This document considers science-based information and adaptation actions to address coastal hazards with sea level rise to make coastal communities more resilient and sustainable. Check out their project page HERE.
State Adaptation Report2020/10Guidance for Using the Sea Level Rise Exposure Area in Local Planning and Permitting Decisions (2020)A supplement to the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report and the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Viewer. Intended to assist state and county planners, natural resource and infrastructure managers, and others on utilizing the Sea Level Rise Exposure Area (SLR-XA) from the Report and Finder in day to day planning and permitting decisions.
State Adaptation Report2018/102018 State of Hawaiʻi Hazard Mitigation Plan (2018)
Includes expanded considerations of climate change and sea level rise hazards for the State, incorporating data from the Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report, Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Viewer, and elsewhere.
State Adaptation Report2019/2Assessing the Feasibility and Implications of Managed Retreat Strategies For Vulnerable Coastal Areas in Hawaiʻi: Final Report (2019)An in-depth look at strategies for shifting urban centers from vulnerable coastal areas in Hawaiʻi. The report contains background research on managed retreat and profiles areas in Hawaiʻi that need it most due to sea level rise and other coastal hazards.
State Adaptation Report2019Guidance for Disaster Recovery Preparedness in Hawaiʻi (2019)This guide seeks to help residents become more resilient in the face of natural disasters, like tropical storms, which are predicted to occur more frequently and become more intense as a result of climate change.
State Adaptation Report2020Hawaiʻi Ocean Resources Management Plan: Collaborative coastal zone management from mauka to makai (2020)A guide to long-term coastal zone management planning in Hawaiʻi, with reference to preserving heritage, promoting stewardship, and preparing for sea level rise and other climate change impacts.
State Adaptation Report2021Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Viewer (2018)This interactive tool is intended to provide an online atlas to support the Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report and provide map data depicting projections for future hazard exposure and assessing economic and other vulnerabilities due to rising sea levels.
State Adaptation Report2017/12Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report (2017)This report provides the first state-wide assessment of Hawaii’s vulnerability to sea level rise and recommendations to reduce our exposure and sensitivity to sea level rise and increase our capacity to adapt.
State Adaptation Report2019/8State of Hawaiʻi Statewide Coastal Highway Program Report (2019)An assessment of Hawaii’s roads and highways in vulnerable coastal areas. A central focus is the costs of coastal erosion and road degradation brought on by sea level rise impacts.
Maui Adaptation Report2018/18Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Technical Resource Paper (2018)Discusses the current and expected future impacts of climate change, key challenges for residents and businesses in West Maui, and potential strategies to consider implementing during the West Maui Community Plan update.
Oahu Adaptation Report2019Oʻahu Resilience Strategy (2019)A strategy for building a resilient Oʻahu based on four pillars: Improving equity, natural disaster preparedness, climate security, and fostering community cohesion.
Kauai Adaptation Report2020/6West Kauaʻi Community Vulnerability Assessment (2020)The product of work with local west side communities that sought to identify vulnerabilities and generate ideas for adapting to climate change. Recommendations for the West Kauaʻi Community Plan, a separate, but related process, were also generated.
Oahu Adaptation Report2018/6Climate Change Brief (2018) This brief describes the local, regional, and global impacts of climate change as documented by peer-reviewed scientific literature and credible empirical data sources. It provides a benchmark for the commission, attesting to the Climate Change Commission’s concerns, underpinning the Commission’s decisions and recommendations, and serving to inform those the Commission serves.
Oahu Adaptation Report2018Climate Ready O’ahu Web ExplorerThis mapping tool features data from the City, state, and federal governments and represents best available science for a variety of climate change stressors and other regulatory layers on O‘ahu.
Oahu Adaptation Report2018/12Sea Level Rise and Climate Change: Final White Paper (2018)A topical white paper summarizing critical trends, data, and preliminary recommendations for sea level rise and climate change adaptation in urban Honolulu.
Oahu Adaptation Report2022/6Sea Level Rise Guidance (2018)This report builds on findings in the Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report (2017), Sweet et al. (2017), USGCRP (2017), Sweet et al. (2018), and other scientific literature to provide specific policy and planning guidance on responding to sea level rise by the City.
Oahu Adaptation Report2019/12Shoreline Setback Guidance: ROH Ch. 23 (2019)Mayor Caldwell requested that the Commission provide guidance on new shoreline regulations and rules. In response, this document provides recommendations for amending the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu 1990 (ROH), Chapter 23, “Shoreline Setbacks.”
Sea Level Rise Resource2022/12Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report (2022) This report provides an updated assessment of Hawaiʻi’s vulnerability to sea level rise and recommendations to reduce state-wide exposure and sensitivity to sea level rise and increase adaptive capacities.
Sea Level Rise Resource2022/3Disclosure Requirement for Residential Real Estate in the Sea Level Rise Exposure Area Flyer The State of Hawaiʻi enacted a new update to the Mandatory Seller Disclosures in Real Estate Transactions Law in 2021, codified within Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes §508D-15, requiring that real estate transactions within the State of Hawaiʻi must disclose any risk of sea level rise to the property.

Risks to oceanfront properties from shoreline erosion and coastal flooding are increasing with sea level rise as documented in scientific and government studies around Hawaiʻi.
Sea Level Rise Resource2020Guidance for Using the Sea Level Rise Exposure Area in Local Planning and Permitting Decisions (2020) A supplement to the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report and the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Viewer. Intended to assist state and county planners, natural resource and infrastructure managers, and others on utilizing the Sea Level Rise Exposure Area (SLR-XA) from the Report and Finder in day to day planning and permitting decisions.
Sea Level Rise Resource2017/12Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report (2017) This report provides the first state-wide assessment of Hawaii’s vulnerability to sea level rise and recommendations to reduce our exposure and sensitivity to sea level rise and increase our capacity to adapt.
Sea Level Rise Resource2021/5HDOT Asset and Hazard Assessment This web map viewer is a supplement to HDOT’s Hawaiʻi Highway Climate Adaptation Action Plan: Exposure Assessments.
Sea Level Rise ResourceHow to Use the SLR-XA for Planners This interactive guide helps planners navigate through the Sea Level Rise Viewer on how to identify sea level rise risks associated with sites of interest.
Sea Level Rise Resource2017Sea Level Rise Viewer The Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Viewer (Viewer) is intended to provide an online atlas to support the Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report (Report) that was mandated by Act 83, Session Laws of Hawaiʻi (SLH) 2014 and Act 32, SLH 2017.
Sea Level Rise ResourceRelative Sea Level Rise Trends in Honolulu, HI The plot shows the monthly mean sea level from NOAA Tides and Currents. The graph shows data collected from 1905 to 2019.
Mitigation Report2021/4Hawaiʻi Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report (2017) Prepared for Hawaiʻi State Department of Health by ICF & UHERO. Intended for use by the state to evaluate whether current and planned actions are sufficient to achieve the statewide GHG emissions targets in the short- and long-term. Updated predictions and inventories from the Hawaiʻi Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report from 2015.
Mitigation Report2015/8Hawaiʻi Clean Energy Initiative Transportation Energy Analysis: Final Report (2015) Prepared for Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, Hawai‘i State Energy Office by The International Council on Clean Transportation. A report aimed at providing underlying assessments, analysis, recommendations, and stakeholder engagement to support the development of a new energy plan for transportation under the Hawaiʻi Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI). Special emphasis is placed on reducing the use of petroleum products.
Mitigation Report2019/1Hawaiʻi Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report (2015) Prepared for Hawaiʻi State Department of Health by ICF & UHERO. Intended for use by the state to evaluate whether current and planned actions are sufficient to achieve the statewide GHG emissions targets in the short- and long-term.
Mitigation Report2022/12Hawaiʻi Statewide Transportation Plan: Hawaii’s multi-modal and inter-modal network. State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation. Building off previous issues, the chief aim of this policy document is to examine potential ways of connecting existing modes of transportation (motorized and otherwise) to improve multi-modal networks throughout the state.
Mitigation Report2018/3Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Plan (2018) Hawai‘i State Office of Planning. The Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Plan was published in 2008 by the State Auditor and the Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Task Force and served as a long-range plan for Hawai‘i to prepare for global warming, climate impact planning, and sustainability planning. This latest version serves as a review of benchmarks, since no progress has been made.
Mitigation Report2019Annual Sustainability Report (2019) City & County of Honolulu Office of Climate Change Sustainability and Resiliency. A summary of county efforts to reach sustainability and carbon neutrality targets. Focuses include water usage, fuel usage, municipal energy consumption and re-use of methane.
Mitigation Report2013Bike Plan Hawai‘i Master Plan. State of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation. A tool to help integrate bicycling into the state’s transportation system. The plan outlines how the state intends to accommodate and promote bicycling. It draws on a combination of existing and future bicycle facilities, policies, and programs to ensure a successful bicycle network.
Mitigation Report2012/8Oahu Bike Plan(2012) Department of Transportation Services City & County of Honolulu. A report building on previous plans and intended as part of the City and County of Honolulu’s toolkit for addressing the range of key societal issues that our nation and island communities face in the 21st century (e.g., healthy communities, sustainable practices, energy independence, transportation economics, etc.)
Mitigation Report2016/12Hawaiʻi Forest Action Plan (2016) Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. A report mandated by the 2008 Federal Farm Bill for managing Hawaiian natural lands. Main themes include conserving working landscapes, protecting forests for public and climate benefits, and keeping farmlands healthy.
Mitigation Report2012/8Bike Plan Hawai‘i Master Plan. State of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation. A plan for promoting active living in Hawaiʻi and improving community design to better accommodate bikers and pedestrians. Also focuses on increasing the percentage of people who use active transportation methods.
Mitigation Report2012/3Central Maui Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan (2012) State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health, Healthy Hawaii Initiative. A plan for making Maui more walkable and bikeable by 2030. The plan identifies opportunities to create an environment conducive to active living through improving pedestrian and cyclist safety, mobility, and access.
Mitigation Report2014/12Aloha+ Challenge: Recommendations for taking action and tracking progress (2015) The State of Hawaii, in response to Senate Concurrent Resolution 69, Senate Draft 1,Regular Session of 2014 The Aloha+ Challenge is a statewide commitment to achieve Hawaii’s sustainability goals, and locally driven framework to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Some of the Hawaiian goals include increased clean energy production, waste reduction, and improved natural resource management.