The Hawaii Climate Advisory Team (CAT), assembled by Governor Josh Green, unveiled a policy paper loaded with recommendations aimed at guiding the administration's legal framework for the 2025 legislative session and beyond. The paper emphasizes the urgency of immediate and foundational policy-making, as reported by the Office of the Governor. "The research and recommendations of the CAT as presented in this paper should be a motivation to all of us to take serious, bold action on these issues during the 2025 legislative session," Governor Green expressed, recognizing the scale of the necessary work yet also acknowledging that the paper charts a viable course for a more disaster-resilient Hawaii.
Delving into the specifics at meetings with experts across fields from climate science to environmental justice packing the summer and fall of 2024, the CAT compiled diverse insights and formulated policy solutions. Their key findings indicate a profound awareness among Hawaiians of the likelihood of natural disasters like the devastating one in Lahaina, yet a lack in readiness, a rising frequency of such events, and an anticipated $1.4 billion annual loss from hurricane, wildfire, flood, and earthquake damages to properties across the state, coupled with an escalading cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by risky conditions, the Office of the Governor details.
The policy paper rolls out fourteen policy approaches including the formation of a permanent resilience office to pilot Hawai'i's strategies for coping with climate-related mishaps, and posits that near-term policy modifications, alongside innovative financing, are crucial first steps towards the broader investment essential for a disaster-prepared Hawaii. The recommended actions span a swath of strategies from securing funds for projects that bolster environmental and infrastructure resilience to safeguarding access to recovery funds for the most vulnerable post-disaster.
Of the fourteen policies proposed, three items stand out demanding legislative action, namely establishing the Hawaii Climate Resilience Fund, ensuring disaster recovery funds for those hit hardest, and enhancing the Office of the State Fire Marshal and its initiatives - underpinning these is the urgency in acknowledging that Hawaii's isolation, dated infrastructure, and disaster risks mandate an amplified focus on and investment in preparedness. "Failure to increase our focus and spending on disaster readiness will jeopardize lives and our economic viability," CAT Chairman Chris Benjamin declared and the advisory team is calling for public scrutiny and inputs on these recommendations through a website that also invites users to a CAT run online presentation set for Friday, as stated on the Office of the Governor’s website.
