Hawaii marks ‘Climate Week’ amid extreme weather events around the world
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii is kicking off Climate Week, with Monday being recognized as Climate Action Day.
The East-West Center is holding a special conference through Thursday, which features an array of speakers, including state leaders, University of Hawaii ocean experts and local environmental groups.
“Climate change is an urgent issue for everyone in Hawaii,” DLNR chair Dawn Chang said. “Successful mitigation and adaptation require both comprehensive education and action.”
This week’s climate conference comes amid a series of concerning weather events around the world that may have been worsened by the changing climate.
In Northern California, a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” killed at least 12 people since late-December. Nearly 120,000 customers were without power in California as of Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
In Utah, the Great Salt Lake could disappear within five years without drastic cuts to water consumption, a new report warned.
In the UK, 2022 was declared as the warmest year on record, according to nation’s Meteorological Office.
There are, however, some hopeful signs that climate actions being taken by societies are working.
The planet’s protective ozone layer is slowly but gradually healing decades after every nation in the world agreed to stop producing ozone-depleting chemicals, a new United Nations report found. At the current pace, the ozone layer over Antarctica could be fully restored in about 43 years.
Those interested in attending the East-West Center’s special conference in person can click here.
The event is also being livestreamed.
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