Hawaii Act 286 - Climate Change Adaptation Priority Guidelines (HI SB 2745/HB 2483)
This Hawaii legislation integrates climate change adaptation priority guidelines into the current statewide planning system. The guidelines were developed through a collaboration between county, state and federal agencies, as well as businesses, community and native Hawaiian organizations. The policy identifies the challenges associated with rising temperatures, flooding, and coastal erosion - endorsing the 1998 Hawai'i Climate Change Action Plan.
The stated purpose of the act is "to encourage collaboration and cooperation among county, state, and federal agencies, policy makers, businesses, and other community partners to plan for the impacts of climate change and avoid, minimize, or mitigate loss of life, land, and property of future generations."
This law fills a gap in Hawaii's policy response to climate change, which had previously been focused on mitigation, primarily through Act 234 (2007). It amends the Hawaii State Planning Act by adding climate change adaptation priority guidelines which focus state and county resources on major areas of statewide concern that merit priority attention.
The adaptation priorities addressed in this bill are:
- to explore adaptation strategies that moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities in response to actual or expected climate change impacts to the natural and built environments;
- to promote sector resilience (in areas such as water, roads, airports, and public health) by encouraging the identification of climate change threats, assessment of potential consequences, and evaluation of adaptation options;
- to use management and implementation approaches that encourage the continual collection, evaluation, and integration of new information and strategies into new and existing practices, policies, and plans; and
- to encourage planning and management of the natural and built environments that effectively integrate climate change policy.
Publication Date: July 9, 2012
Related Organizations:
- State of Hawaii
Resource Category:
Resource Types:
- Laws
States Affected:
