By Colin Moore, Ketty Loeb, Victoria Keener, and Zena Grecni

Hawaiʻi is among the most vulnerable places in the United States to sea level rise. Nearly all residents live near the coast, where housing, transportation networks, tourism infrastructure, and cultural sites are concentrated. Chronic flooding and beach erosion are already visible in many communities, and long-term projections point to steadily rising risks over the coming decades.

Until recently, however, there has been little systematic evidence on how residents view this threat or what kinds of policy responses they are prepared to support. To address this gap, an interdisciplinary team from Pacific RISA, UHERO, and the UH Institute for Sustainability and Resilience conducted Hawai‘i’s first statewide, representative survey of public attitudes toward sea level rise (SLR) in summer 2025, gathering responses from 1,314 adults across all four counties. The results provide a baseline picture of public beliefs, risk perceptions, and policy preferences at a critical moment for coastal planning in the state.  Detailed findings are presented in the full report, Public Views on Sea Level Rise in Hawaiʻi: Results from a Statewide Survey.

Three themes stand out:

• unusually broad agreement that sea level rise is happening,
• a strong sense of urgency about its impacts, and
• uncertainty about how long-term adaptation should be financed.

Taken together, these findings indicate that Hawaiʻi’s primary challenge lies not in public awareness, but in governance and the financing of long-term adaptation.

Key findings

• 89 percent of residents believe sea level rise is happening.
• Majorities of Democrats (97 percent), Independents (90 percent), and Republicans (80 percent) agree.
• 49 percent say SLR is already affecting people in Hawaiʻi; 82 percent expect impacts within 25 years.
• 83 percent believe impacts will be catastrophic within 50 years.
• Roughly 90 percent support restricting development in flood-prone areas.
• 81 percent would relocate from high-risk areas if offered fair compensation.
• Only 45 percent are willing to pay higher taxes or fees for neighborhood-level protection.

Widespread public agreement

Public belief that sea level rise is occurring is widespread in Hawaiʻi. Statewide, 89 percent of residents say that sea level rise is happening (Figure 1). This view is shared at similarly high levels across all counties, ranging from 88 percent in Honolulu and Kauaʻi to 92 percent in Maui. In other words, belief in sea level rise is not confined to particular islands or communities but is broadly distributed across the state.

What makes this especially notable is how little this belief varies across political lines. Ninety-seven percent of Democrats say sea level rise is happening, but so do 90 percent of Independents and 80 percent of Republicans. Large majorities of both liberals and conservatives express the same view.

Residents are somewhat less unified on the causes of sea level rise, but disagreement remains limited. About two-thirds attribute SLR to a combination of human activity and natural processes, and another fifth see it as mainly human-caused. Only a small minority attribute it solely to natural processes.

From a policy perspective, this matters. Broad agreement that the problem exists lowers the political costs of acknowledging risk and creates space for long-term planning that would be far more difficult in a polarized environment.

Sea level rise as a present threat

Hawaiʻi residents also view the impacts of sea level rise as imminent.

As Figure 2 shows, nearly half say SLR is already affecting people in the state. Another 19 percent expect impacts to begin within the next ten years. In total, more than four in five residents anticipate local impacts within the next 25 years.

Expectations about personal exposure are similarly high:

• 20 percent say they or their family have already been affected through flooding, higher insurance costs, or property damage.
• 32 percent expect to be affected within ten years.
• 20 percent expect impacts within 25 years.

Concern about long-term severity is widespread. Eighty-three percent agree that sea level rise will have catastrophic consequences for Hawaiʻi within the next 50 years.

When asked about specific outcomes if no action is taken, large majorities expect coastal erosion and beach loss, frequent flooding, damage to coastal property and infrastructure, disruption to tourism areas, losses to natural resources and cultural sites, and impacts on agriculture and public health.

For many households, these risks are already financial as well as physical. Thirty-nine percent report increased costs related to sea level rise or coastal flooding, including housing expenses, insurance premiums, repairs, or business disruptions.

In short, sea level rise is not viewed as an abstract future problem. It is widely understood as a present and near-term challenge to communities, livelihoods, and the state’s economic base.

Strong support for acting—and for changing how Hawaiʻi builds

Given these perceptions, it is not surprising that residents want the government to respond. Nearly 90 percent say state leaders should act immediately to prepare for sea level rise, with more than half expressing this view strongly.

Support is especially high for policies that reduce long-term exposure to coastal hazards:

• about 90 percent support restricting new development in flood-prone areas;
• more than 80 percent favor prioritizing inland development over continued coastal expansion;
• roughly 80 percent support using public funds to acquire coastal land for conservation and restoration.

Residents also back an active government role in helping property owners manage rising risk. Large majorities support expanding eligibility for a state-funded flood insurance program, offering tax incentives or financial assistance to elevate or flood-proof buildings, and providing public funding to help owners relocate from flood-prone areas.

As Figure 3 shows, 81 percent say they would be willing to move away from areas identified as vulnerable to sea level rise if offered fair compensation.

This combination of preferences is unusual. In many coastal regions, public opinion strongly favors protection over retreat, even where long-term risks are severe. In Hawaiʻi, residents appear open to a mixed strategy that includes both helping people remain in place where feasible and supporting relocation where risks become unmanageable.

Views are more divided on shoreline armoring. A narrow majority (54 percent) believe private property owners should be allowed to build seawalls even if doing so harms public resources. Support is much stronger, however, for seawalls that protect public infrastructure such as roads, utilities, and harbors.

Overall, the survey points to a public that is receptive to significant changes in land-use planning and coastal management—an essential condition for effective long-term adaptation.

The central constraint: who pays?

While support for adaptation is widespread, there is no clear consensus on how it should be financed.

When asked whether they would be willing to pay higher taxes or fees to fund neighborhood-level protection from sea level rise, a majority of residents say no. Statewide, 55 percent are unwilling to pay more, while 45 percent say they would (Figure 4).

This gap between strong support for adaptation policies and reluctance to bear direct financial costs highlights the core governance challenge facing Hawaiʻi.

Many of the strategies residents endorse—relocating households, purchasing coastal land, reinforcing infrastructure, redesigning drainage systems, and maintaining protective ecosystems—require large and sustained public investment. While the survey did not test support for specific financing options, it does suggest limited public willingness to accept higher taxes or fees. Without credible, durable funding mechanisms, adaptation risks becoming a cycle of planning exercises and short-term projects rather than a coordinated long-term strategy.

Implications for policymakers

The survey results place Hawaiʻi in a distinctive position.

Unlike many states, policymakers do not face widespread skepticism or ideological resistance to acknowledging sea level rise. Public agreement on the reality and seriousness of the threat is broad, stable, and cross-partisan. Residents also support many of the most powerful policy tools available, including restrictions on coastal development and public assistance for relocation.

This creates a valuable window of opportunity.

At the same time, the financing problem looms large. Public reluctance to accept higher taxes or fees means that the hardest political work lies not in persuasion, but in designing cost-sharing arrangements that are seen as fair, credible, and effective.

That may require targeted state funding mechanisms, greater reliance on federal infrastructure and disaster-mitigation programs, clear prioritization of which areas can realistically be protected long term, and transparent communication about tradeoffs, limits, and timelines.

Sea level rise is a structural challenge, not a temporary shock, and it demands institutions and funding streams that reflect that reality.

Hawaiʻi does not lack public awareness or concern. What remains unresolved is how the costs of adaptation will be shared across communities, taxpayers, property owners, and future generations. How that question is answered will likely determine whether today’s strong public consensus translates into sustained, effective action—or remains a shared recognition of risk without the tools and funding needed to meet it.

This summary blog was originally published by the Economic Research Organization of the University of Hawaiʻi (UHERO) on Feb 16, 2026.

The full report is available on the UHERO website at: https://uhero.hawaii.edu/public-views-on-sea-level-rise-in-hawaiʻi-results-from-a-statewide-survey/

Coastal flooding in Palau is already affecting daily life—overtopping roads, disrupting access, and threatening critical and culturally important places. In partnership with Pacific RISA, Hawaii Sea Grant and the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Level Center (UHSLC), this work supports partners in in developing practical, place-based flood indicators that translate sea level and tide information into clear, decision-relevant insights for locations identified as vulnerable.

Over 10 days in January, Coastal Adaptation Specialist Moehlenkamp helped support field visits where a team collected 120 high-accuracy elevation measurements across Koror, Babeldaob, and Peleliu to support flooding threshold analysis. These measurements help link what communities observe on the ground with what tide gauge records show over time—so communities and agencies can better understand how severe flooding has been at specific places in the past, and how the frequency and depth of those events are likely to change as sea levels continue to rise.

From interviews to a priority site list

This field data collection effort was built on a stakeholder-driven process. An initial list of flood impact locations was compiled through interviews and meetings with community members, and stakeholders across the NGO, private, and government sectors. Those conversations identified roads, causeways, schools, taro fields, cultural sites, and other places where flooding creates real impacts. That list was then refined in collaboration with the Office of Climate Change (OCC) and the Palau Automated Land and Resources Information System (PALARIS) focusing on priority sites where elevation data could most directly support flood thresholds and locally usable indicators.

Field visits with local coordination and context

With support from the OCC, Coastal Adaptation Specialist Moehlenkamp visited sites and helped coordinate on-the-ground engagement. At many locations, the team met with state governors and/or state Protected Areas Network (PAN) coordinators, who guided them to the precise points to measure, and who also shared valuable context on flooding history and community impacts. These brief site meetings helped ensure the elevation measurements are not only technically accurate, but also locally meaningful and directly useful for the communities most affected.

What these measurements enable: localized flood indicators

Unlike broad flood risk assessments, this approach is designed to produce highly localized results. By linking high-accuracy elevation measurements at flood-prone sites with long-term tide gauge records, the analysis can evaluate a specific location—such as a road segment, school, or other critical site—and estimate:

• Historical flooding frequency (how often water levels likely exceeded a site’s flood threshold)
• Severity (how far above the threshold water levels reached during exceedances)
• Future changes in frequency and severity under different sea level rise scenarios

This level of detail can support both community and government decision-making, strengthen national adaptation planning, and inform updates to regional planning products and assessments.

Climate Change in the Republic of the Marshall Islands: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors is one in a series of PIRCA reports. Authors from Arizona State University, the East-West Center, the Majuro Weather Service Office, and the University of Hawaiʻi—along with 29 technical contributors from local government, NGOs, and research—collaboratively developed the RMI PIRCA report.

Key Messages

Climate Change in the Republic of the Marshall Islands lays out the changes the country is already experiencing, and what lies ahead. The key messages for decision-makers include:

• Sea level rise threatens infrastructure, food and water security, and important ecosystems and cultural sites. Frequent and extensive flooding, coastal erosion, and saltwater contamination of groundwater are expected as sea level rise accelerates, threatening the long-term habitability of the atoll nation.
• Ocean changes disrupt fisheries and cause coral loss. Coral reefs are key to the Marshall Islands’ fisheries and protection from coastal flooding. Fisheries changes and extensive coral loss are possible within the next few decades if current trends in rising ocean temperatures continue.
• Hotter days and nights and stronger storms affect human health. Temperatures have risen, and heat waves stress water supplies and exacerbate a range of pre-existing health issues. More intense tropical cyclones mean a greater potential for flooding and associated public health and safety risks.
• Collaborations and increased climate finance can bolster resilience. National government, international partners, non-governmental organizations, and local communities can work to expand adaptation strategies and access to climate finance, which is needed to meet the scale of challenges facing the RMI.

About Climate Change in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the PIRCA

The collective efforts of the technical contributors and coordinating authors made the RMI PIRCA report possible. The report builds upon the US National Climate Assessment, offering a closer look at climate change impacts in the RMI and providing information for a wide range of sectors.   

The PIRCA is funded and supported by Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s CAP Program (through Pacific RISA), and the East-West Center’s Research Program.

Cover photo: An aerial view of Majuro shows that atolls are primarily covered with forest or agroforest, surrounded by shallow reef. Photo courtesy of USGS project, “‘Vegetative Guide & Dashboard’ relating atoll traditional agroforestry recommendations to predicted climate and sea level conditions in the Marshall Islands.”

SEA technology is also generalizable across geoscience domains, through a framework called an Intelligent Data Exploring Assistant (IDEA), which can be demonstrated by asking it to analyze atmospheric observations from Mars collected by NASA’s InSight Mission (Try it!). By combining LLM capabilities with robust domain-specific customizations, SEA and the IDEA example generate accurate analyses, visualizations, and insights through natural-language prompts. This study highlights the potential of IDEA frameworks to lower technical barriers, enhance educational opportunities, and transform geoscientific workflows while addressing the limitations and uncertainties of current LLM technology. PI Widlansky’s work also highlights how AI can enhance scientific research and communication, and helps us to envision how the creation of similar tools can support scientists in many fields.

SEAinfo page, with several YouTube video demonstrations and presentations by PI Widlansky
https://uhslc.soest.hawaii.edu/research/SEAinfo/
GitHub IDEA page
https://github.com/uhsealevelcenter/IDEA
IDEA manuscript with a plain language summary and abstract
https://uhslc.soest.hawaii.edu/research/SEAinfo/IDEA_manuscript_latest.pdf

Through a cooperative agreement with the University of Hawai’i Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI), the U.S. Army Garrison is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Federal Endangered Species Act on more than 50,000 acres of U.S. Army training ground on the island of Oʻahu. The ANPRO manages 90 of the 474 federally listed endangered species in Hawaiʻi, including plants, birds, land snails, and insects. These ecologically and culturally valuable species are often located in remote, mountainous terrain that can only be accessed by highly trained biologists and technicians using 4WD vehicles and helicopters. To attain the program’s goal of balancing the requirements of the Army’s training mission with its natural resource responsibilities, the ANRPO maintains nurseries and a seed bank for rare endemic species, and engages in monitoring and surveying activities, biocontrol research and deployment, eradication of invasive plant and animal species, building fencing to keep out feral pigs and goats, and hosts public volunteer workdays to foster community engagement in conservation.

The Pacific RISA team was most excited to see the highly endangered Hawaiian land snails, known as kāhuli, which through habitat loss, climate change, predator introduction, and over-collection have been disappearing at an alarming rate. There are estimated to have once been up to 750 species across the Hawaiian Islands, but 90% of them are now thought to be extinct. Our hike would take us through forests of native species (many of which are being managed by ANRPO), up to two protected snail enclosures, one managed by the Army, and the other by the State’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and Snail Extinction Prevention Program (SEPP).

We met ANRPO Conservation Manager Jane Beachy and Rare Plant Program Coordinator Tim Chambers at the ANRPO baseyard where we were briefed, equipped with weeding tools, and fitted with spiked shoes for the steep and often muddy trail. After a 45 minute drive to the trailhead in the Wai‘anae Mountains, we hiked to Kahanahāiki, where we immediately noticed biocontrol on the very pervasive and invasive strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum), and passed a number of rodent traps and fencing designed to keep out feral goats and pigs. Tim stopped along the way to point out the extensive work ANRPO has done to reintroduce native species, including grasses, ferns, and more well-known species like koa and ʻōhiʻa. ANRPO must not only contend with extreme conditions, predators. and invasives, but also the effects of climate change, which climate models predict will result in higher temperatures and drier conditions in the Wai‘anae Mountains.

We reached the Army snail enclosure, designed to keep out a multitude of predators, and got to work weeding out invasive species throughout the enclosure. The Army snail enclosure was recently invaded by yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes), so the remaining snails have been removed to SEPP’s captive rearing facility.

Our next stop was the State snail enclosure, where we immediately spotted the native tree snail Achatinella mustelina, endemic to the Wai‘anae Mountains and listed as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List Ranking. The snails seem to be thriving there – we found many of them living on the underside of the leaves of the pāpala kēpau (Rockia sandwicensis) and olopua (Notolaea sandwicensis) trees.

The hike back took us along a ridgeline where we had sweeping views of the North and West shores of O‘ahu. It also took us past a very successful plot of reintroduced hāhā (Cyanea grimesiana subsp. obatae), federally listed as endangered and found only in the Wai‘anaes. The hāhā was in bloom and its floral display seemed to surprise even our guides – their enthusiasm was contagious, and we all clambered down a steep hillside to get a closer look. ANRPO collaborates with DOFAW’s Native Ecosystem Protection and Management (NEPM) program to manage this unusual lobelia.

We would like to thank Jane and Tim for sharing their time and mo‘olelo (stories) about the good, the bad, and the ugly of what it takes to restore an ecosystem, and for the incredible job they are doing of managing natural resources in the Wai‘anaes under so much uncertainty.

Army Natural Resources Program Oʻahu
https://oanrp.com/about/

Hawaii Snail Extinction Prevention Program
https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ecosystems/sepp/

How to Help Native Snails
https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ecosystems/sepp/howtohelp/

ANRPO and UH
https://research.hawaii.edu/noelo/anpro-and-uh/

Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC)
https://www.oahuisc.org/

Division of Forestry and Wildlife: Native Ecosystems Protection and Management, Rare Plant Program
https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ecosystems/rare-plants/

This Communities of Practice gathering marked the second annual convening of technical experts, practitioners, and government leaders from national and subnational islands across the globe. The meeting provided space for island leaders, practitioners, and technical experts to share best practices and lessons learned, receive technical training, collaborate, and exchange knowledge and unique island experiences in a collaborative, peer-to-peer forum. Participants also engaged with the thematic focus areas with place-based learning featuring some of Hawai‘i’s exemplary leaders in sustainability. 

Climate Action Pathway Session: Palau Climate Services and Coordination Workshop

On Day 2 of the convening, Project Specialists Paula Moehlenkamp and Chelsey Bryson led a session with NOAA Climate Services Director Dr. John Marra and Data & Reporting Officer for the Palau Office of Climate Change, Mikayla Etpison, on the Climate Action Pathway – a framework developed to connect in-country high level adaptation goals to actionable data and indicators. The session provided the outcomes of the Climate Services and Coordination workshop recently held in Palau, and explored how to engage the right stakeholders for the successful implementation of climate services to support decision-making in participants’ home islands.  

Dr. Marra kicked off the session with an overview of the Climate Action Pathway and the overarching goals and objectives of the Palau Climate Services workshop – an effort led by NOAA, UH, Pacific RISA, the Palau Weather Service Office, Palau Ministry of Finance, and Palau Office of Climate Change. Mikayla then provided an overview of Palau’s climate priorities, including updating the Palau Climate Change Policy, to illustrate how different project streams are aligning to the established national goals.

Following the structure of the Palau workshop and using its outcomes as examples, Paula then guided participants through different categories of climate indicators and connected them to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Lastly, Chelsey talked through the Climate Services Dialog process, using the development of sector-based Climate Early Warning Systems (CLEWS) as an example. The dialog process is described in the 2021 Pacific Islands Climate Storybook and focuses on the two-way exchange of information between technical patterns and users.

After a presentation providing a contextual background of the Palau workshop, participants were asked to split into four groups to share reflections on a deeper level. In these breakout groups participants had  vital discussions around identifying most important stakeholders in their home islands to engage in the climate action framework. Further, they discussed best practices and strategies to get the community engaged and to break down silos. The global representation of participants from over 42 island economies, including technical stakeholders from various governmental and community entities, fostered a vital exchange of insights and perspectives cutting across cultures and disciplines. Offering a structured approach to bridging high level climate adaptation goals with tangible on-the-ground impacts and data, this session complemented the broader themes of the Data for Climate Resilience CoP, while also fostering peer-to-peer dialogue on breaking down silos, engaging stakeholders, and ensuring conscientious data collection practices.

Adapted from the East-West Center Press Release 

Among the findings of the Fifth US National Climate Assessment, released by the White House, are that climate change in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands worsens inequities and threatens unique island ecosystems, along with cultural resources, human health, livelihoods, the built environment, and access to clean water and healthy food. The assessment concludes that adaptation strategies incorporating local and Indigenous knowledge can improve the resilience of Pacific Island communities, and that efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit climate change impacts are now underway in every US region, including the Pacific Islands.

The report’s chapter on Hawaiʻi and US-Affiliated Pacific Islands was written by 16 authors, including Pacific RISA’s Abby Frazier, Victoria Keener, Zena Grecni, Kirsten Oleson, and Chris Shuler. The chapter has 41 technical contributors and is backed by nearly 500 citations from published literature.

“Climate change continues to threaten things we care about,” said Frazier, now an assistant professor at Clark University and the Hawai‘i-Pacific chapter’s lead author. “As the devastating hurricane-fueled wildfires on Maui and Typhoon Mawar in Guam made clear, when communities are already hurting from stressors like COVID-19, extreme weather can multiply harms. The sooner we scale up global action to curb threats from climate change, the better. Fortunately, cutting emissions or preparing for new extremes also creates immediate local benefits—improved health, a stronger economy, and more resilient communities.”

The chapter’s key takeaways for the region include:

• Climate change impairs access to healthy food and water. Increasing temperatures, altered rainfall, flooding, pollution, and fisheries decline will further affect food and water availability.
• Climate change undermines human health. Climate shocks and stressors compromise healthcare and worsen long-standing social and economic inequities that contribute to illness, but community strengths and adaptation measures can boost resilience.
• Rising sea levels harm infrastructure and islands’ economies. Sea level rise intensifies loss of territory and disrupts livelihoods, but governments and communities are innovating through renewable energy, green infrastructure, and sustainable economic growth.
• Responses help to safeguard tropical ecosystems and biodiversity. Increased fire risk, severe droughts, and ocean changes have broad negative impacts on native plants and wildlife, and ocean ecosystems. Effective adaptation strategies include ecosystem protection and restoration, invasive species measures, and fire prevention.
• Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge systems are central to the resilience of island communities amidst the changing climate.

New since the Fourth National Climate Assessment, published in 2018, is the chapter’s inclusion of a key message on human health and its emphasis on food security, integration of Indigenous knowledge, and recognition of data inequities for the Pacific Islands and US Caribbean.

About the Fifth National Climate Assessment

Mandated in the Global Change Research Act of 1990, the National Climate Assessment provides authoritative scientific information about climate change risks, impacts, and responses in the US. The assessment reflects the scientific consensus and is widely used for decision-making but does not include policy recommendations nor advocate for any specific policy.

The Fifth National Climate Assessment includes 32 chapters on physical science, national-level sectors (such as water, energy, agriculture, ecosystems, transportation, health, infrastructure, etc.), regional impacts in the US, and responses. The assessment was written by a diverse team of more than 500 authors and more than 250 technical contributors from every state. The report has undergone multiple rounds of review, including three opportunities for public comment, extensive agency review, and an external review by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Hawai‘i and US-Affiliated Pacific Islands chapter has 16 authors and 41 technical contributors and is backed by nearly 500 citations from published literature.

The conference provided a unique setting where leading legal scholars came together with research scientists to discuss a wide range of pressing topics covering ocean threats, governance, science, and solutions. The week started with a visit to the CRIOBE International Research Station (pictured below), where participants heard from marine research stations across the Pacific and PI Dr. Victoria Keener gave a presentation on the current trends and impacts of climate change in the Pacific region, providing the climate background and context for working across science and policy spaces for the week ahead.

Later in the week, at UC Berkeley’s Gump Station, Project Specialist Chelsey Bryson gave a presentation on the opportunities and challenges of the Green Climate Fund in the Pacific as part of a larger discussion about governance and funding opportunities. Chelsey was also one of three rapporteurs, who presented the key themes of each day at the end of the meeting, such as access to scientific information and data, equity in community involvement, and regional engagement. From there, participants decided on goals and next steps for PIMSA.

On the last day, participants were given a tour of the nearby cultural and community center and heard from Hinano Teavai-Murphy, the Cultural Director of the Tetiaroa Society, before sharing a delicious last local Tahitian meal together.

Communications Manager Krista Jaspers happily tagged along for the week as well, eager at the chance to dive in Moorea’s crystal-clear waters. After a week of fruitful meetings, Chelsey and Victoria joined her on tour to swim with humpback whales on the south side of the island, where the team was greeted by a curious humpback calf – a powerful and welcome reminder of why we are dedicated to this work.

Our hearts go out to our families, friends, colleagues, and all those affected by the devastating fires on Maui. As this tragedy continues to unfold, the Pacific RISA team is committed to supporting communities experiencing loss.

For anyone looking for a way to help, there are many ways to support Maui families through donation and mutual aid. Here are a few ways to donate or offer assistance:

• The Hawai’i Community Foundation Maui Strong fund is providing financial assistance that can be deployed rapidly for disaster response
• Maui Food Bank is accepting online and in-person donations (see webpage for requested food and aid items), and is coordinating emergency volunteer response efforts on Maui for those on island
• Maui United Way is providing daily grant funds to grassroots organizations on Maui to meet urgent community needs
• Maui Humane Society is accepting monetary donations as well as pet food and supplies, as it strives to reunite lost pets with their owners and care for animals injured in the fires
• Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement through the Kākoʻo Maui Fund is matching donations to provide shelter, food, financial assistance, and other services to those impacted by the fires
• The Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization is accepting donations for the ongoing relief efforts, as well as partnering with communities and grassroots groups to reduce risk and increase preparedness for climate-related wildfire disasters
• A Master List of Direct Fundraisers for Maui Fire Victims has been developed with direct links to fundraising pages for victims of the fire
• Maui Rapid Response has created this online form to efficiently match community needs to the overwhelming influx of offers that are coming in on the islands and beyond
• To determine if an online charity is reputable, you may use this resource from the Hawaiʻi Attorney General’s Office

For additional up-to-date information and updates, here are a few pages to follow:

• If you or someone you know is looking for a person you believe is missing or impacted, please use this resource.
• The County of Maui Facebook page is posting real-time updates – you can also find them on Instagram @CountyofMaui
• NASA and the US Forest Service have produced a real-time fire information map for Maui

Here, we offer some resources for understanding the context and science of wildfire in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands. The following articles, books, and web resources examine how fires and their impacts are driven by factors such as drought, invasive species, and our changing climate, as well as possible solutions. We will continue to update this page with relevant resources.

Web Resources
Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO)
Pacific Fire Exchange
Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange
Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal

Overview of Wildfire in Hawaiʻi (From HWMO)

• Wildfire in Hawaiʻi
• Annual Summary (2018) of Wildfires in Hawaiʻi
• Overview of Wildfire in Hawaiʻi: Trends/Patterns and Available Programs (webinar)

The Role of Weather, Climate Change, and/or Invasive Species in Wildfire

• Webinar: When Climate Change and Invasive Species Intersect
• El Niño and Fire Weather on Pacific Islands
• Weed Fire Risk Assessment Tool: a Hands-On Webinar for Land Managers & Owners
• Webinar: Changing Climate and Wildfire in Hawaiʻi
• Changing Climate and Fire: a Crisis Brewing in the Pacific (fact sheet)
• Changing Climate & Wildfire in Hawai‘i: Current Observations & Future Projections (fact sheet)

Pacific RISA PIs Featured in Coverage of Maui Fires
Los Angeles Times, Chaos and Terror: Failed Communications Left Maui Residents Trapped by Fire. Scores Died.
New York Times, “How Climate Change Turned Lush Hawaii Into a Tinderbox”
CNN, “These factors are making it hard to combat the deadly Maui wildfires”
CNN, Anderson Cooper 360 (video), “Records show Hawaii underestimated the deadly threat of wildfires”
CNN, “Hawaii underestimated the deadly threat of wildfire, records show”
Washington Post, “Maui fires not just due to climate change but a ‘compound disaster’”
LA Times, “How a perfect storm of climate and weather led to catastrophic Maui fire”
Grist, “Wildfires just destroyed a Maui town. Next year could be worse.”
ClarkNOW, “‘There’s likely a climate change signal in everything we see’”
Global News, Canada (video), “Maui wildfires: How Maui was caught off guard by catastrophic wildfires”
Nature News, “Hawaii wildfires: did scientists expect Maui to burn?”
NBC10 Boston News, “Maui wildfires: Mass. sending 2 emergency responders to help in Hawaii”
BBC Radio interview with Dr. Abby Frazier (audio unavailable)
BBC World Service interview with Dr. Abby Frazier
Spectrum News 1 (San Fernando Valley) (video), Your Morning (Host Giselle Fernandez)
Vox, Today Explained (podcast), https://open.spotify.com/episode/7L6PDNan8nKltjPDZFGuPJ?si=e5db532f6da14e66
ABC News, “Why climate change can’t be blamed entirely for the Maui wildfires”
Honolulu Civil Beat, “It Will Be Years Before Clean Water Is Restored In Lahaina” (Shuler)
Honolulu Civil Beat, “Heavy Rain Washed Fire-Related Contaminants Into The Ocean Off Lahaina. How Bad Is It?” (Shuler)

 Academic Articles and Books

Kamelamela, K. L., and Coauthors, 2022: Kōkua aku, Kōkua mai: An Indigenous Consensus-driven and Place-based Approach to Community Led Dryland Restoration and Stewardship. Forest Ecology and Management, 506, 119949, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119949

Trauernicht, C., E. Pickett, C. P. Giardina, C. M. Litton, S. Cordell, and A. Beavers, 2015: The Contemporary Scale and Context of Wildfire in Hawai’i. Pacific Science, 69, 427–444.

Trauernicht, C., E. Pickett, P. Beimler, C. P. Giardina, S. Cordell, J. B. Friday, E. Moller, and C. M. Litton, 2018: Assessing Fire Management Needs in the Pacific Islands: A Collaborative Approach. Fire Management Today, 76, 30–35.

Articles & Stories in Popular Media

“Why Hawai‘i’s Wildfires Are Growing Bigger and More Intense”
By Cynthia Wessendorf, Hawaiʻi Business Magazine, Nov 11, 2022

“These factors are making it hard to combat the deadly Maui wildfires”
By Ray Sanchez, CNN, Aug 10, 2023

 “How Climate Change Turned Lush Hawaii Into a Tinderbox”
By Christopher Flavelle and Manuela Andreoni, New York Times, Aug 10, 2023

 “Chaos and Terror: Failed Communications Left Maui Residents Trapped by Fire. Scores Died.”
By Rong-Gong Lin II, Alexandra E. Petri, and Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, Aug 11, 2023

“As Fires Destroy Native Hawaiian Archive in Maui, Mutual Aid Efforts Are Launched to Help Lahaina”
Democracy Now! (video and transcript), Aug 11, 2023 

“Unprecedented”: Fire Expert Says Climate & Native Vegetation Changes Fueled Explosive Maui Wildfires”
Democracy Now! (video), Aug 11, 2023

“Living Through Maui’s Unimaginable Wildfires”
By Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, Aug 11, 2023

“Maui fires not just due to climate change but a ‘compound disaster”
By Scott Dance, Washington Post, Aug 12, 2023

 “Records show Hawaii underestimated the deadly threat of wildfires”
CNN, Anderson Cooper 360 (video)

“Hawaii wildfires: did scientists expect Maui to burn?”
By Emma Marris, Nature News, Aug 14, 2023

“Why Maui Burned”
Vox, Today Explained, Aug 15, 2023

“Maui’s Grass Fire Cycle Explained”
BBC (video), Aug 17, 2023

“Locals have been sounding the alarm for years about Lahaina wildfire risk”
Anita Hofschneider, Grist.org, Aug 17, 2023

“How 19th-century pineapple plantations turned Maui into a tinderbox”
Claire Wang, Guardian, Aug 27, 2023

On Kauaʻi, the team met first with Kauaʻi County Planning Director Kaʻāina Hull, Long Range Planning Director Marie Williams, and others in the department to introduce them to the natural capital project. Kauaʻi County is using EBA as part of the county adaptation strategy, and shared current and upcoming projects (both NGO and private) using EBA, and their visioning for using EBA within the county adaptation plan. Later, the team attended a public workshop held by the County to engage residents on adaptation strategies such as managed retreat transfer of development rights, and nature-based solutions.

At Alakoko fishpond, which was built around 600 years ago and is one of the earliest examples of aquaculture in Hawaiʻi, Oleson’s team participated in a community work day, pulling mangroves from the wall of a mudfish pond along the Hulēia River (see photo below). They talked story with Malama Hulēia, caretakers of the fishpond, to discuss future collaboration on mental models for monitoring and evaluation plans.

This and future scoping trips will give the team an opportunity to talk to decision makers and stakeholders about what they are doing and why, what they hope the impacts/outcomes of their projects are, and how Pacific RISA can work with them to look at whether those impacts are happening. By coproducing climate knowledge and products with Kaua‘i County Planners, the Pacific RISA is improving partners’ understanding of science and knowledge related to hydrology, climate, and adaptation options.

*All Photos courtesy of Kirsten Oleson