Mayor is in capital to talk climate change

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell is scheduled to testify before a Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis in Washington, D.C., this morning.

Caldwell is expected to talk about the impacts climate change and sea level rise are having on Oahu, and the steps he’s taking to mitigate their impacts. The committee is chaired by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).

The mayor established a Honolulu Climate Change Commission last year to begin exploring ways the city should navigate the changing environment. On June 30 he released Honolulu’s Resiliency Strategy, which includes 44 strategy directives to help Oahu residents deal with climate change, sea level rise and resilience in Oahu’s communities. And last month he hosted the U.S. Climate Mayors Summit. Caldwell is slated to return to Honolulu on Thursday. Managing Director Roy Amemiya is serving as acting mayor in Caldwell’s absence.

Prior to arriving in Washington, Caldwell spent several days in San Francisco where he met with bond-­rating agencies Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings Inc. Honolulu currently maintains bond ratings of AA+ and Aa1 from Fitch Ratings Inc. and Moody’s Investor Service, respectively.