Column: Hurricane is climate warning for Oahu

Published by Staradvertiser on Aug. 5, 2020

By Lauren Ballesteros-Watanabe, Program Manager, Sierra Club Oʻahu Group

We just dodged a hurricane. That’s another reminder that we must prepare for disaster, not just for our families – toilet paper, water and rice, check – but for our community. In a vulnerable island state like ours, we can’t be truly prepared without focusing on the climate crisis, which is sending more extreme weather our way.

No one can ignore the consequences of climate change, and that’s especially true here on O‘ahu. We can’t ignore that king tides are washing lifeguard towers into the oceans. We can’t ignore the acidification of our precious coral reefs, or the reality that our children and grandchildren will inherit an island much different than the one we live in today. And this instability, this vulnerability, has only been made worse as the COVID-19 pandemic ravages our health and our island economy. In short, our community can’t afford the layered effects of a pandemic, climate crisis, hurricanes, and inaction.

 With our primary election on August 8, and voters mailing in ballots now, we need to hear much more from Mayoral and City Council candidates on climate and resilience. That includes preparing for sea level rise and extreme weather, and also leading the transition to a healthier, more affordable future using 100 percent clean energy.

 And we don’t need to wait until elections to make real change: the Honolulu City Council has opportunities to act right now.

 Over the past year, even amid COVID-19, Honolulu City Council has passed ambitious climate legislation. Bill 40 is one of the strongest single-use plastic laws in the nation. Bill 25 ensures that new buildings will lower their energy use, make bills more affordable for residents, and be built ready for solar panels and electric vehicles. Both bills passed thanks to powerful youth leadership, and last month the City Council recognized these contributions by paving the way for the City’s first-ever Youth Commission. But we can’t rely on youth to do all the work for us.

 The City Council can take swift action this month to build a more resilient community. 

Passing Bill 2 (2020) will make housing more affordable by making parking requirements more flexible. This will help us stop literally paving paradise, and instead make streets safer and more pleasant for walking. This bill will prioritize sustainable transportation options -- like walking, biking, and taking TheBus -- while giving more much-needed housing options to local families.

That’s not the only opportunity to act: Resolution 20-119, introduced by Councilmember Waters, will require waste dumps to be located away from schools. 

Unfortunately, as we saw with Bill 25 last year, we are starting to see the same old delay tactics. Developers are trying to stall and weaken Bill 2. 

We need our leaders to stand up. We need courageous political leadership from our current and future City Council and Mayor for a healthy future for everyone on Oʻahu.

Let’s not wait till the next hurricane is racing toward our shores.