Global Warming

For many people, UN reports and scientific papers do not really convey what climate change will be like. Part of the problem is that scientists are warning about effects we never imagined on the economy, migration, health, and human relations. In this edition of HPR’s Planet808, we look at one journalist's estimation of how the Earth's worst and best case scenarios have changed. 

Over the last decade, people across the globe began to grapple with the effects of global warming.  Here in Hawai‘i, effects have ranged from wildfires to flooding and coral bleaching, with more frequent and intensified weather events.  In this edition of Planet808, climate change across the islands, HPR takes a look at the road ahead.

Hawai‘i’s green energy goals are among the most ambitious in the nation, and other states are closely watching our progress. Hawai‘i’s stated goal is 100 percent renewable energy generation by 2045, an ambitious target that requires tackling the problem of airline fuel. Nearly a third of the petroleum consumed in Hawai‘i is for jet fuel. In this edition of Planet808, HPR visits this past week’s Hawai‘i Aviation and Climate Action Summit.

In 2017, Hawai‘i set high tide records for four straight months. It turned out to be because of a combination of factors including sea level rise, and an El Nino effect. Today, HPR’s Planet808 takes a look at the high tides we’ll be experiencing this week.

Some very high tides are expected later this month, Nov. 25 to Nov. 28. Hawai‘i’s last "king tide" event happened at the end of July. Combined with a freak south swell, ocean levels rose over three feet and reached their highest point of the year so far. One water expert explains how Honolulu will cope with rising sea levels.

A hardy band of UH faculty and state and county officials is just back from a learning trip to U.S. East Coast cities that are wrestling with climate change. This week’s Future Focus conference brought academic, business, and government leaders together to collaborate on climate adaptation.

After a month of sweltering temperatures, August closed with a record 95 degrees in Honolulu on Saturday. As local residents make more and more adjustments for the heat, the United Nations Climate Commission has concluded that simple changes in land use would help resolve global warming. In this edition of Planet808, climate expert Chip Fletcher says, Hawai‘i could lead on this. The new UN findings dovetail with initiatives already taking root in Hawai‘i.

Each year, an estimated 500 to 600 wildfires sweep across parts of Oahu. But those fires are different than the ones that burn on the mainland, and in many ways, the charred fields are just the beginning of the problem. 

Last year, a spark from a hammer was enough to ignite dry grass, and contributed to the largest wildfire in California history. All across the Western U.S., firefighters are wondering what might lie ahead this season. Here in the Islands, thousands evacuated earlier this month as a wildfire tore through central Maui, an example of Hawai‘i’s increasing risk for wildfires.

Europe’s record-shattering heatwave last week contributed to the hottest June ever recorded on earth.  It’s been hot in Hawaiʻi lately as well, although it hasn’t threatened public health. In 2003, a European heatwave killed 70-thousand people. Authorities and residents have learned lessons since then---but in Hawai‘i, how prepared are we for dangerous heat?  University of Hawaiʻi climate expert Chip Fletcher has some answers.

Today, on the summer solstice, HPR starts a closer look at how climate change is playing out in Hawai‘i.  We’re calling these reports “Planet808: Climate change in the islands.” And we begin with UH Professor, Chip Fletcher, author of Climate Change: What the Science Tells Us.

Charles “Chip” Fletcher is a Professor of Earth Science at UH Mānoa. He’s also Vice-Chair of the Honolulu Climate Change Commission and has recently published the second edition of his textbook on climate change.  This lengthy examination of the topic has been a life changing journey.

This week, while a delegation of four Pacific atoll nations lobbied President Trump in Washington, Hawai‘i's  Chip Fletcher headed to one of those nations, the Marshall Islands, to keynote a conference on their greatest concern:  climate change.  Just back, Fletcher reports the options the Marshalls face could be considered in Hawai‘i.

The United Nations Climate Change conference in December faced urgent news from the UN Climate Change Panel, which had concluded that previous CO2 reduction goals are not enough to avert catastrophes.  In addition, our window of opportunity to act is shrinking---to a dozen  years or less.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports, we in Hawai‘i can contribute to the global transformation required.

In a continuing discussion about climate change, there are  opportunities and challenges in the year ahead.  Today, HPR’s Noe Tanigawa speaks with Chip Fletcher, Associate Dean at UH Mānoa, and a professor of geology and geophysics.  His research shows water creeping inland and seeping up into neighborhoods sooner than you might think.

The State’s Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission conducted its first meeting today and received a briefing on a draft sea level rise report.  HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports.

Deadly Heat Waves on the Rise; Hawaii’s Score on Elder Care; Homebrewing on Hawaii Island

  Governments have come up with a variety of policy proposals to try and combat global warming. One idea involves using taxes to discourage companies from releasing airborne pollution. But an Asia Pacific country that led the way in this direction has now changed course. HPR’s bill dorman explains in today’s asia minute.