Chalk is gone, but efforts on climate change continue

Last Earth Day, the Blue Line Project brought together hundreds of Hawaii’s students, leaders and community members to spread awareness about climate change. It created momentum that we cannot afford to lose now that Earth Month has come to a close.

The chalking of the sea level rise exposure area at 15 different locations across the islands brought together the best science with innovative thinking and hope. It forced us to have necessary conversations about the fact that our island communities are changing, the map of our home is changing, and our world is changing.

As Hawaii residents chalked in blue the cherished places on our islands that will be impacted by passive flooding, annual high wave flooding, and coastal erosion from 3.2 feet of sea level rise caused by climate change, one question kept bubbling to the surface: How can we prepare?

During the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage, we saw sea level rise creating issues at many of the low-lying countries we visited. We’ve been to some communities in the Pacific that have thrived for thousands of years — only now they have to relocate and move from their ancestral homes. But we also heard many encouraging conversations from people and places across the globe.

Kiribati is one. The string of 33 coral atolls that necklace the central Pacific will see more than 80 percent of its scant land surface become unsuitable for habitation if sea levels rise 2.6-feet or more. As early as 2050, it is estimated that climate change will render the low-lying nation unlivable. And when it does, its 114,000 residents will have to move. In 2014, Kiribati’s president purchased 6,000 acres of land in Fiji for the nation’s permanent resettlement.

We saw at Tangier Island, another small low-lying island, that it will be the one to suffer first — and the most.

Now we’re seeing it at home. The “king tides” last year were an eye-opening preview of how sea level rise will affect our community. The tides came dangerously close to beachfront hotels in Waikiki. Businesses in Mapunapuna had to place sandbags to block floodwaters, with some having to shut down because of the water. Although those businesses were able to reopen once the event was over, there will be a time when that won’t be an option.

We’re at a crossroads now where education, and the empowerment that comes with it, are key.

We know now that our current consumptive economic model is not sustainable. We know that relying on fossil fuels for electricity and transportation needs is not working for our resiliency or our planet. That is why we have to do our part to minimize our continued negative impact, and teach our children to deal with what we caused. The most important investment is changing education to allow young people to prepare for this fast-changing world.

We have the capacity to change the world — as we are learning with climate change. That is why we need to give children the tools to design a different future. That is why education and awareness are so important.

The Blue Line Project is a perfect example. The educational outreach that Blue Planet Foundation does daily is another. Communities are becoming active. Our classrooms are becoming active.

We all must be active to survive this challenge. The student’s blue chalk has already washed away. But the consequences of the decisions we make today will not. Let’s join together on this journey to make Hawaii the symbol of what’s possible for our sustainable future.

Nainoa Thompson is a master navigator and president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.