Log in

You will be redirected to IUCN Accounts to input your credentials. After log in you will be redirected back to this site.

Rest assured your personal data resides with IUCN and IUCN only. For more information please review our Data policy.

WCC 2016 Rec 097 - Activity Report

Submitted by alex.roy on Thu, 01/25/2018 - 21:55
General Information
Pacific region climate resiliency action plan
IUCN Constituent: 
AA2C53A4-DEB7-E611-B6EC-005056BA6623
IUCN Constituent type: 
IUCN Commission on Ecosystems Management 2017-2020
Period covered: 
2017
Geographic scope: 
Pacific Ocean
Country/Territory: 
United States of America
In implementing this Resolution your organization has worked/consulted with...
IUCN Members: 
Harold L. Lyon Arboretum, of the University of Hawaii / United States of America
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Department of Commerce ( NOAA ) / United States of America
IUCN Commissions: 
F517E09E-5094-E611-97F4-005056BA6623
IUCN Secretariat: 
No
Other non-IUCN related organisations: 
Pacific Islands Climate Science Center (PICSC); State of Hawaii - Office of Planning (OP); University of Hawaii - School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST)
Implementation
Indicate and briefly describe any actions that have been carried out to implement this Resolution: 
ActionDescriptionStatus
Policy influencing/advocacyThis Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report (Report), initially mandated by Act 83 in 2014 (Hawaii Climate Change Adaptation Initiative) and expanded by Act 32 in 2017 (Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Initiative), provides the first state-wide assessment of Hawaii’s vulnerability to sea level rise and recommendations to reduce our exposure and sensitivity to sea level rise and increase our capacity to adapt to a changing climate. This report has allowed the State of Hawaii to incorporate priority guidelines that other island nations could utilize. It should be noted that this is a technical report, and not a plan. The report led to the creation of the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission which works to develop recommendations to provide guidance for State and County agencies, communities, and other stakeholders for improving Hawaii's capacity to adapt to sea level rise. On-going
Scientific/technical activitiesThis Report combines the best available science on climate change and sea level rise from sources such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report 5 (IPCC 2014), more recent scientific reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as the best-available peer-reviewed scientific research articles. Continued efforts from the State and other regional stakeholders will help to bolster the report in the future by adapting to new science and new data. The Hawaii Climate Adaptation Framework was developed as a process for science-driven and stakeholder-informed analysis of sea level rise and other climate change-related issues - this framework was used to guide the development of this Report.On-going
Please report on the result /achievement of the actions taken: 
The report has resulted in, 1) the creation of the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, and 2) new legislation in the State of Hawaii that relates to climate change, sea level rise, and coastal community resilience/adaptation. The report has provided broad information and policy recommendations relating to future climate change and sea level rise impacts on the State of Hawaii and by default, other similar Pacific Islands. The report outlines recommended actions related to cultural, environmental, economic, recreational, and societal changes that should occur in order to develop policy to address climate change impacts on island communities.
What challenges have you encountered in implementing this Resolution and what measures have you taken to overcome them?: 
Lack of data to bolster model efforts; lack of funding to acquire data, or consolidate stakeholders into the development of this report; Constantly changing climate data to integrate into report (i.e., Sea Level Rise data from IPCC was used at first, then NOAA data was published which altered models)
Identify and briefly describe what future actions are planned for the implementation of this Resolution: 
Future ActionDescription
Convene stakeholders/NetworkingOne goal of this report is to provide a robust framework for other Pacific island nations to follow in order to create regionally specific Climate Action Reports - ultimately Hawaii would like to integrate each regional report and broad policy recommendations into one comprehensive Pacific-focused Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Adaptation document in order to guide regional planning and adaptation in a focused and successful manner.
Policy influencing/advocacyImplementation of the recommendations discussed in the report. The primary objective of this report is to update current guidance and to propose legislative amendments to existing environmental regulations. The report aims to provide clear recommendations to influence policy and instigate action.
Additional Information
External link(s): 
Hawai'i Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report