A coalition of 17 Hawaii conservation supporters released its second annual state of the environment report Monday, urging greater support for environmental initiatives to help combat climate change already starting to emerge in the islands.
The report by the Hawaii Environmental Funders Group issues a call to action in support of local food production, green business practices and efforts to combat invasive species.
“The report drives home the importance of the environment — that it’s more than just an environmental issue,” said Eric Co, senior program officer for ocean resiliency at the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and chairman of the committee that compiled the report. “Our economy relies on our natural environment. It is pervasive how much the health of the environment impacts our daily lives.”
Titled “He Lono Moku: The State of the Environment,” the report calls for more self-reliance and resilience in the face of declining federal support for local agencies responsible for environmental stewardship, monitoring and data gathering.
“For Hawaii’s environment, it has never been more clear that change is not only coming, it’s here,” the report begins, adding that “unsettling signs of present-day climate change abound, from the summer’s exceptional king tides, to fewer trade wind days and record-breaking hurricane seasons.”
The report includes a list of “calls to action.” On the issue of local food, it urges the state to revive a report to help track local progress on food production, to create a marketing plan for Hawaii-grown products and to assist investors interested in growing food in Hawaii.
On invasive species, it calls for the state to implement the Hawaii Inter-agency Biosecurity Plan, the state’s $39 million-a-year blueprint that lays out a plan “necessary to protect Hawaii’s economy, environment and public health.”
Brant Chillingworth, senior program officer at Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation, said little fire ants and rapid ohia death are just a couple of the invasive species that threaten the state’s environment.
“There are some really serious issues and critical areas a lot of people are working on,” he said.
On green business, the report urges the private sector to embrace sustainability through federal and state tax incentives and through green workforce training, among other things.
The 26-page report puts a spotlight on people and organizations working to create environmental change in Hawaii and reviews both the year’s “big wins” and “setbacks” to the environment.
Among the big wins were President Obama’s expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, hosting the International Union for Conservation of Nature Congress and creating Honolulu’s new Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency.
Setbacks, according to the report, included the clouded future of Oahu’s primary aquifer threatened by the Navy’s aging Red Hill storage tanks and a couple of items from the state Legislature, which failed to approve funds for watershed protection and let die a bill that would have required large-scale agricultural operations to notify the public when and where they spray restricted-use pesticides and insecticides.
In addition to being hand-delivered to state lawmakers and organizations, the report is available online at hawaii-environment.com and will be included as an insert in Hawaii Business and Honolulu Magazine.
This is the second annual report by the Hawaii Environmental Funders Group. Last year’s first report assessed freshwater security, renewable energy and community-based marine management.
Formed seven years ago, the Hawaii Environmental Funders Group is a network of 17 local and national individuals and foundations that commits substantial investment in the environment and sustainability of the islands. In 2014 the 17 affiliates collectively gave almost $14 million toward environmental conservation in Hawaii.
Convened and coordinated by the Hawaii Community Foundation, the group includes members that range from the Atherton Family Foundation to Kamehameha Schools and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
