LIHU‘E — The fate of Kaua‘i’s beaches and reefs is at stake due to global warming and other factors, scientists say. All Kauaians should recognize that and act quickly to take mitigative measures, according to several University of Hawai‘i educators.
LIHU‘E — The fate of Kaua‘i’s beaches and reefs is at stake due to global warming and other factors, scientists say.
All Kauaians should recognize that and act quickly to take mitigative measures, according to several University of Hawai‘i educators.
A free informational seminar on global warming’s impacts on Kaua‘i is slated from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center in Puhi.
Discussed will be whether rainfall will increase or decrease, how Kaua‘i stream flow and groundwater might change, what happens to coastlines if sea levels rise, whether or not the island’s reefs will survive climate change, and many other topics.
Panelists include doctors from the UH Geography and Geology departments, Sea Grant College and Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, with Dr. Carl Berg of the Surfrider Foundation Kaua‘i offering a brief introduction before scheduled specific overviews on the above topics followed by a panel discussion.
Pre-registration is requested by e-mailing Berg, cberg@pixi.com.
Sponsors are Surfrider Foundation Kaua‘i, KCC and the UH Sea Grant College Program.
The Global Climate Change: Impacts on Kaua‘i Conference is subtitled “A Future We have Already
Created — Creating a Future We can still Influence.”
This conference brings together Hawai‘i experts who have focused their life work on preserving and protecting the land, sea, and quality of life in Hawai‘i, says a press release from KCC.
The experts will provide scientific information in layman’s terms on how the various effects of climate change are likely to impact Kaua‘i’s future.
The conference is designed to inform every citizen of Kaua‘i, including interested members of the public, representatives of Kaua‘i’s major industries including tourism, health care, energy, and the military, government officials and employees, farmers, community and environmental groups, and students at all levels.
“Kaua‘i Community College is delighted to co-sponsor ‘Global Climate Change: Impacts on Kaua‘i,’” said Dr. Helen A. Cox, KCC chancellor.
“As the higher-education institution on the island, the college embraces our role as a resource for information and a gathering place for important community conversations.
“Looking at the predicted local impacts of global climate change will help Kaua‘i residents plan for the future we have already created, while at the same time stirring us to act to create the future we can still influence,” said Cox.
Berg, senior scientist with the Surfrider Foundation Kaua‘i, said, “Surfrider Foundation strives to protect the oceans, beaches and marine life around our islands.
“It is important that Kaua‘i’s peoples recognize the changes that are happening to our oceans and reefs as a result of global climate change,” he said in the release.
“We need to adapt to these local changes and make collective steps to mitigate climate change. It is our responsibility for our children and future generations,” said Berg.
“Understanding the potential impacts of climate change is arguably one of the most important issues currently facing coastal communities,” said Jim O’Connell, UH Sea Grant College Program coastal processes extension agent on Kaua‘i.
“All natural processes and marine organisms function within a larger, more complex inter-active system. To varying degrees, climate change is anticipated to affect every physical and biological system — which means every individual will be affected by climate change in some way,” said O’Connell.
This recognition is one of the reasons the UH Sea Grant College Program recently established a multi-disciplinary Center of Excellence in Island Climate Adaption and Policy, the release states.
The center offers expertise in the areas of law, policy, planning and science to mitigate and adapt to climate change while embracing the wisdom of local, traditional cultures.
“This ‘Global Climate Change Impacts on Kaua‘i’ conference is precisely what we need to begin to comprehend the possible impacts to our island,” said O’Connell.
“It’s the only way we will be able to begin to know what we could possibly do to live sustainably with climate change. If we ignore the potential impacts of climate change, the repercussions will take us by surprise,” said O’Connell.
