A $20 million federal pot of money challenges Native Hawaiian groups to use Indigenous knowledge to combat climate change and figure out how to adapt cultural practices for the future.
The Conversation spoke to Stanton Enomoto, the program director with the U.S. Interior Department’s Office of Native Hawaiian Relations.
"We are creating the space for innovation, for Native Hawaiian Indigenous knowledge to get into sort of this Indigenous way of thinking and applying our traditional knowledge in ways that can really advance us and bring about this idea of resiliency," he said.
He said climate change directly impacts many aspects of Native Hawaiian culture and life.
"When we think about climate change, it affects so many different things — from sea level rise affecting our fish ponds, or extreme weather events flooding our taro fields, or temperature rise affecting our highland forests, and contributing to avian malaria that's wiping out our native forest birds," Enomoto said.
"All of these things contribute to our sense of identity as Native Hawaiians, and who we are," he added.
Enomoto said officials are especially looking to fund projects that are forward-looking and will help prepare for future climate impacts.
Funding levels range from $100,000 to $5 million. The federal money comes from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
The deadline to apply is Feb. 29, 2024.
Click here to learn more about the Kapapahuliau Climate Resilience Program. An online information session is planned for Dec. 13 at noon.
This story aired on The Conversation on Dec. 5, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
