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.

One key finding is just how disproportionate the impacts are. Between 1980 and 2019, invasive species caused more than $11.7 billion in damages across US and US-affiliated islands. When adjusted for land area, that’s five times higher per square kilometer than on the US continent. Islands import most of their food and goods, rely heavily on tourism and military transport, and often have limited resources to respond when new pests arrive.

But the paper also shows that the biggest challenges are not about a lack of tools or knowledge. This research, led by Pacific RISA PI Laura Brewington as part of her service on the US Invasive Species Advisory Committee, identifies three lessons that apply not only to US islands, but to island nations around the world. First, local capacity and trust determine whether efforts succeed. Programs that invest in local jobs, training, and community engagement are more likely to detect invasions early, while long-term support of island-led research, workforce development, and implementation supports sustained management as climate extremes intensify. Second, prevention at ports of entry matters. Airports, seaports, and shipping routes are the main gateways for invasive species. When inspections are inconsistent or under-resourced, new pests slip through—and the costs multiply later. Third, long-term control tools are essential but often underused. Islands have successfully applied biological control, targeted chemical treatments, and ecosystem restoration, but these approaches are frequently limited by short-term funding or regulatory delays. Expanding access to conservation-relevant tools and investing in restoration infrastructure also both increase ecosystem resilience following disturbance.

“In many cases, the science exists and the solutions are known,” says lead author Laura Brewington. “The real challenge is making sure systems are in place to prevent invasions in the first place and to act quickly and effectively when they occur.”

The paper also highlights promising examples, from interagency agreements in the Pacific to biofouling controls in Australia and community-driven biosecurity efforts in Mexico. These cases show that coordination and sustained investment can make a real difference. Islands are often described as “sentinels” for environmental change. But in the case of invasive species, they are also shields—protecting surrounding regions from further spread. Strengthening island biosecurity isn’t just an island issue. It’s a global one. Download the paper here.

Featured image: Sunset over Tumon Bay, Guam. Credit: Laura Brewington

]]> 7326 https://www.pacificrisa.org/2025/04/29/building-an-intelligent-data-exploring-assistant-for-pacific-risa/ Tue, 29 Apr 2025 21:11:09 +0000 https://www.pacificrisa.org/?p=6965 Read More]]> Advances in natural-language processing and large language models (LLMs), such as those utilized by ChatGPT, are transforming how geoscientists interact with complex datasets, enabling efficient and intuitive scientific analyses. As part of the Tracking and Communicating on Sea Level Pacific RISA project, PI Widlansky and the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Level Center (UHSLC) are developing tools that use LLMs to allow researchers to ask questions in everyday language and receive clear explanations and data analyses in response, minimizing the need for time-consuming tech support for project managers. One such tool, called the Station Explorer Assistant (SEA), draws on the UHSLC’s extensive databases and uses AI to analyze sea level data, compare water levels to normal conditions, and predict potential flooding. It even writes and runs its own analysis software, which it shows the user to check that its results are accurate. By making sea level science easier to understand and access, SEA can support communities adapting to rising seas and other coastal challenges. 

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

However, invasive species pose a significant threat to these islands, causing damage so severe that it is second only to climate change. Invasive species are responsible for nearly 90% of recorded species extinctions on islands and have caused billions of dollars in damages. The economic impact on U.S. and U.S.-affiliated islands is significantly higher than on the continental U.S., partly due to the high burden of invasive species on islands like Hawaiʻi. As an added threat, invasive species on these islands are merely one flight away from continental areas where they are not already established, posing immense risks to agriculture, industry, and biodiversity on the U.S. continent.

“U.S. and U.S.-affiliated islands are strategic strongholds for national security, global biodiversity, and economic stability—yet they remain uniquely vulnerable to invasive species. Federal leadership and investment in biosecurity will ensure these critical regions remain resilient and sustainable.” ~ Laura Brewington, the paper’s lead author

The high costs of invasion

Because many islands are geographically isolated, they are also highly susceptible to invasive species. Indigenous communities historically sustained themselves with minimal external influence, but modern trade and travel have increased the risk of invasive species introductions. The authors found that invasive species have cost U.S. and U.S.-affiliated islands over $16 billion in cumulative damages over the past 40 years. For instance, the State of Hawaiʻi has an almost equal number of nonnative plant species as the entire continental U.S., despite its small size. Invasive species reduce climate resilience by altering ecosystem structure and function, negatively impacting livelihoods, quality of life, food security, and culture.

Recommendations for federal action

The authors outlined four priority action areas where the U.S. federal government could begin to address these challenges to islands: terrestrial biosecurity, marine biosecurity, control measures and long-term impact reduction, and social and capacity conditions. For example, improved prevention efforts and jurisdictional coordination are needed to address terrestrial invasive species. Federal and local agencies should collaborate to enhance prevention at ports of entry. U.S. and U.S.-affiliated islands contain significant marine resources, including coral reefs, which are threatened by invasive species. Improved marine biosecurity measures are essential to protect these ecosystems.

Meanwhile, many islands already suffer from a high burden of invasive species. In these locations, biologically based control technologies and chemical controls are crucial tools for managing invasive species and must be developed with local conditions and capacity in mind. Post-disturbance restoration efforts will also be needed to recover ecosystems affected by invasive species, such as wildfire prone areas in Guam or Hawaiʻi. In all islands, federal agencies need to offer more support local capacity for invasive species management: investments in education, outreach, and professional development are essential to build local expertise and trust.

Federal agencies must address the urgent need for coordinated efforts to manage invasive species on U.S. and U.S.-affiliated islands, and this white paper offers a blueprint for how to do so in ways that are appropriate to the needs and challenges facing islands today. These efforts will be vital for enhancing climate resilience, protecting biodiversity, and supporting the well-being of all U.S. island communities.

Featured image: Pampas grass, an invasive grass in all the main islands of Hawaiʻi and other parts of the Pacific Islands. Image credit: Maui Invasive Species Committee.

After learning during the 2024 climate services dialog in Palau that taro (kukau, in Palauan) is a staple crop of high importance for food security and island sustainability, the team developed a prototype of an early warning dashboard for taro producers, who are primarily women as heads of households. During this visit, the goal was to evaluate ways to improve the draft dashboard and enhance its practicality for users. Information below was primarily gathered through taro patch visits with farmers, but also includes information gathered during meetings with NGOs, as well as government officials. Nearly all taro patches in Palau depend on surface water availability, so knowledge of rainfall amounts and frequency, as well as temperature and duration of hot and sunny weather, is crucial for making planting decisions or other interventions, such as when to cover vulnerable crops. With this information, the team will update the dashboard and integrate other suggested tools, such as a community news page for information exchange.

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/

“There are many examples—in the Pacific Islands and beyond—of how efforts to prevent and manage invasive species have resulted in more climate-resilient communities, ecosystems, and economies”, said white paper author and Pacific RISA Co-Lead Investigator Laura Brewington

Executive Order No. 14008 mandates that US federal agencies and departments develop Climate Change Adaptation Plans to enhance the nation’s resilience to climate change, but invasive species are also documented to reduce the effectiveness of climate adaptation and mitigation actions. For example, fire-tolerant invasive grasses are supercharging wildfires in many parts of the United States, including Hawaii and the US Pacific Islands, which not only threatens critical infrastructure and ecosystems, but also reduces wildland climate resilience and carbon storage capacity.  In spite of this, only eight of the 26 federal Climate Change Adaptation Plans directly reference invasive species, and just four meaningfully consider the reciprocal impact of invasive species on climate adaptation efforts.

To develop recommendations for addressing this intersection of climate and invasive species, the ISAC author team conducted a gap analysis of the US Climate Change Adaptation Plans and synthesized case studies around the impacts of invasive species on US climate resilience. The five recommendations, if implemented, would transform how invasive species are considered within federal climate change planning, programs, and policies.

“Our research confirmed what we already suspected: federal agencies have not yet actively integrated invasive species management into climate action planning, funding, and implementation—and they must take clear steps to do so in order to meet their own climate goals,” said Leigh Greenwood, TNC’s Director of Forest Pests and Pathogens programs and Chair of ISAC’s Climate Change subcommittee. “Each of the five recommendations is achievable and would help protect both people and nature from the damaging impacts of climate change.”

Download and share the full 2023 ISAC climate change white paper!

Featured image: Water hyacinth, a fast growing invasive weed that clogs waterways and flood control mechanisms in the southeastern United States. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife (via Flickr).

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

HONOLULU (July 18, 2023) – Stronger typhoons, growing challenges for populations on low-lying atolls, ecosystem declines, and human health issues are among the major risks detailed in a new report on climate change in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Threatened resources include culturally significant coastal infrastructure and the tens of millions of dollars that fisheries inject into the FSM economy annually, according to the report by the Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment (PIRCA), a consortium of several government, NGO, and research entities.

Climate Change in the Federated States of Micronesia: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors is one in a series of PIRCA reports. Authors from the East-West Center, Arizona State University, and the University of Hawaiʻi—along with 30 technical contributors from local government, NGOs, and research entities—collaboratively developed the FSM PIRCA report.

“This research is important to translate science and reality into pragmatic solutions to address climate change,” said Lucille Apis-Overhoff, FSM’s Assistant Secretary of Climate Change and a contributor to the report.

Another contributor, College of Micronesia–FSM research scientist Dr. Murukesan Krishnapillai, has studied climate-related changes affecting the country’s communities and developed technical assistance programs that strengthen resilience of local food systems. “By delving into crucial aspects such as rising temperatures, extreme events, sea level rise, migration, human health risks, and food security, this report unveils the intricate web of challenges posed by climate variability and change,” Dr. Krishnapillai said. “Its analysis equips decision-makers with the insights necessary to develop effective action plans, ensuring a more resilient and sustainable future for the Federated States of Micronesia.”

Key Messages
Climate Change in the Federated States of Micronesia lays out the changes the country is already experiencing, and what lies ahead. The key messages for decision-makers include:

• Hotter days and nights and stronger typhoons affect human health. Temperatures have risen, and heat waves exacerbate a range of pre-existing health issues. More intense tropical cyclones mean a greater potential for loss of life, damage, and public health issues. Hot weather and storms pose a particular threat to women, children, and older adults.
• Sea level rise threatens infrastructure, including housing, drinking water, and transportation, as well as agroforestry, ecosystems, and cultural sites. More frequent and extensive coastal flooding and erosion are anticipated as sea level rise accelerates. The FSM’s numerous low-lying atolls especially face growing challenges.
• Ocean changes disrupt fisheries and cause coral death. In the FSM, the ocean is life—more than 70 percent of FSM households engage in fishing. Fisheries changes and extensive coral loss are possible within the next few decades if current trends in rising ocean temperatures continue.
• Collaborations can bolster traditional knowledge and cultural resources and enhance resilience. National government, state agencies, non-governmental organizations, local communities, and others can work together to expand adaptation strategies.

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

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

Contact FSM PIRCA authors:

Chelsey Bryson
East-West Center, Honolulu, HI,

Zena Grecni
Pacific RISA, Arizona State University, Honolulu, HI,

Cover image: In Yap State, stonework construction methods were used as an adaptive response to historical sea level variability, for example in this oceanside faluw, or traditional men’s house. However, sea level rise is now challenging this traditional strategy. Photo by CLM Photography.