By Savannah Harriman-Pote for Hawaiʻi Public Radio

The fires raging across Southern California are predicted to cause $250 billion in losses and could become the most expensive fires in U.S. history.

The devastating blazes in Los Angeles County come just months after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton hit the southeast states. Each storm is estimated to have caused $50 billion in damages, much of which will not be covered by insurance.

Meanwhile, Hawaiʻi is still contending with the aftermath of the 2023 Maui wildfires. Gov. Josh Green said last August that the recovery effort will likely “exceed $12 billion.”

The Climate Advisory Team, convened by Green last year, is urging the state to prepare for this new reality in which climate-fueled disasters are more destructive and more frequent.

By UH News

Strategies to enhance Hawaiʻi’s resilience to climate-related disasters are the focus of a new comprehensive policy paper presented by members of the state’s Climate Advisory Team (CAT), who all have ties to the University of Hawaiʻi. The paper, which was released on January 7, emphasizes immediate actions and long-term policies to help prepare the state for future challenges.

According to a statewide survey of more than 600 Hawaiʻi residents conducted by CAT in October 2024, 71% of respondents believe that what happened in Lahaina, Maui could happen in their community, but only 39% think their community is prepared to withstand a natural disaster.

One of the paper’s top recommendations is to establish a permanent resilience office to provide the necessary leadership and coordination of a strategic, integrated approach to improve Hawaiʻi’s resilience and preparedness for climate-related disasters.

By Honolulu Star-Advertiser Editorial Board

The 2025 Hawaii Legislature’s opening day is Wednesday, but consider the session already begun, as Gov. Josh Green has a big-ticket package of requests for funding and legislation in the queue. Among them: another go at reserving a dedicated fund to pay for disaster response, infrastructure needs and environmental repair, pressing needs that have been grievously shunted aside in the past.

The difference this year is that climate change and related environmental disasters are “in your face” — intensifying and increasingly damaging, in Hawaii and worldwide, and will remain so. Disasters once thought inconceivable — such as the roaring fires that disastrously swept across portions of Los Angeles just days ago, and the drought- and storm-propelled fire that destroyed Lahaina in 2023 — make it impossible to ignore the intensifying threats.

This year, the Legislature must act, for the good of these islands — and because the cost of inaction could be immeasurable. Delaying action will not only cost more over time, it would also be an irresponsible abandonment of Hawaii’s people and environment to the risk of potential damage that can never be recovered.

By Gina Mangieri for KHON2

A. Yes; vital against costly disasters, such as wildfires (283 Votes)

C. No way; risks/dangers overblown (157 Votes)

B. Maybe, but need to hear justifications (149 Votes).

By Andrew Gomes for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser

A panel advising Gov. Josh Green is urging the state Legislature to appropriate almost $2 billion over the next five years to help reduce and respond to future natural disaster damage in Hawaii.

The suggested spending is tied to about a dozen recommendations made in a report produced by the advisory group, which Green created in May, nine months after the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfire disaster caused an estimated $5 billion in damage.

Recommendations in the 58-page report by the Climate Advisory Team include helping homeowners strengthen their residences against hurricanes, enhancing natural protections from storm surges and inland flooding, expanding Firewise community programs, creating a permanent Hawai‘i Resilience Office and establishing a "properly funded" Office of the State Fire Marshal.

By Savannah Harriman-Pote for Hawaiʻi Public Radio

Gov. Josh Green convened a six-person climate advisory team last summer to research disaster policies and release a report with recommendations ahead of the upcoming legislative session.

Part of that research involved surveying 600 Hawaiʻi residents about how they see the risk of disaster.

About 70% of respondents felt something like the Lahaina wildfire could happen to their community. Only 39% thought their community was prepared for a natural disaster.

The report estimates that Hawaiʻi could see over $1 billion in property damage every year due to hurricanes, wildfires, floods and earthquakes.

By Gina Mangieri for KHON2

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Disasters like the firestorm raging in Los Angeles County make insurance coverage increasingly hard to get or afford, and other economic repercussions can reverberate beyond California. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to make Hawaii more resilient and durable, but it does come with a cost.

The apocalyptic scenes in California are all too familiar in Hawaii, with many parallels to the Lahaina and Upcountry wildfires of 2023.

“I just saw family friends posting of a photo of their home two days ago, and a photo of the ashes today, and it really hits home when you see those things,” said Chris Benjamin, who leads Gov. Josh Green’s Climate Advisory Team (CAT).

By Climate Advisory Team

The Climate Advisory Team (the “CAT”) has released a policy paper of recommendations for the 2025 legislative session. The policy paper describes actions Hawaiʻi can take immediately while simultaneously building the foundation for long-term policies that will help Hawaiʻi survive and respond to future disasters.

By Climate Advisory Team

The Climate Advisory Team (CAT) invites the public to attend a virtual presentation on the recently released policy paper on Friday, January 10, at 9:30 a.m. This policy paper presents findings and recommendations for immediate actions and long-term policies that will help Hawaiʻi survive and respond to future climate-related disasters.

By Civil Beat Editorial Board

Tell us what the Climate Advisory Team is. And by the way, how did you come up with such a clever acronym — CAT?

Chris Benjamin: The governor gets full credit for that. We had nothing to do with that. But it works because it’s also short for catastrophe and it works in a lot of ways. The governor called me in late April, early May and asked if I would chair this group, and it was really very much undefined at that point. But what his goal was was to assemble a team that would make recommendations ahead of the 2025 legislative session to help address and improve Hawaii’s readiness for future disasters.

By Hawaiʻi Public Radio

In recent weeks, two devastating hurricanes hit the U.S. East Coast, causing billions of dollars in damages and the deaths of over 100 people. It's a stark reminder of how climate change is worsening storms and creating other extreme weather events.

Gov. Josh Green established a Climate Advisory Team this past May to promote resilience and recovery from future climate-related disasters. The volunteer team is looking at areas ripe for policy-making: environmental and infrastructure resilience, and physical and financial recovery.

HPR talked to team chair Chris Benjamin and member Robin Campaniano about advising the Green administration in preparation for the 2025 legislative session.

By Noel Morin for the Honolulu Civil Beat

The state is prioritizing adaptation and resiliency. Gov. Josh Green’s Climate Advisory Team is tasked with developing a climate resilience policy, strategy, and a roadmap to enable Hawaii to “mitigate the financial impact of climate change,” according to the governor’s May 2024 press release.

The release emphasizes the commitment to “maintaining stable housing and insurance markets.” The plans must include climate-proofing our homes, buildings, and infrastructure and ensuring robust disaster preparedness and recovery capacity.

By Climate Advisory Team

The Climate Advisory Team is closely reviewing the recommendations offered by the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) in its Phase Two report issued earlier this month. It includes important findings from its investigation into the Maui wildfires: what happened, and what can be done to prevent future wildfire disasters of this magnitude.

This report was commissioned by the Hawaiʻi Attorney General and covers the events that occurred prior to, during, and immediately following the Lahaina fire: preparedness efforts, weather and its impact to infrastructure, and other fires occurring on Maui at the time. FSRI identified 84 findings that resulted in 140 recommendations for addressing these issues.

by Climate Advisory Team

Governor Josh Green’s Climate Advisory Team (CAT) is in the midst of conducting extensive research to gather ideas, understand issues, and inform the policy recommendations they will present for the 2025 legislative session. As of mid-September, the CAT has conducted roughly 45 meetings with groups ranging from community organizations, environmental groups, state agencies, scientists, economists, and researchers. Throughout these conversations, the CAT is particularly focused on how their policy recommendations can promote justice, climate equity, and aloha ʻāina. 

By Jamm Aquino for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser

1. Why did you accept the role of CAT chair?

I’m very concerned about the threats that natural disasters pose. That’s why I am so encouraged that the Governor wants to give the issue the attention of this committee and its experts, in order to develop concrete solutions. Hawai‘i is particularly vulnerable to climate change, and I’ve devoted my time since retirement to addressing its risks.

By Honolulu Star-Advertiser Editorial Board

Climate change, the global environmental crisis that people once perceived as a faraway worry, is now confronting Hawaii, especially as it affects sea-level rise. Adapting to the threats and curbing their impacts, though, will be a multiple-generational mission.

That’s why the establishment of a high-level Climate Advisory Team (CAT) for the state is an excellent foundational step, and the initial fact-gathering efforts will be crucial in coordinating planning across community, business and government institutions.

By Andrew Gomes for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Gov. Josh Green created a tough assignment in May for the retired leader of a Hawaii real estate investment firm to assemble a team that can recommend policies to minimize climate-related natural disaster impacts in the state.

Now, this six-person volunteer group with expertise in areas that include climate change, environmental law and insurance faces a tough phase of work: coming up with initial results.

Green’s Climate Advisory Team, led by retired Alexander & Baldwin Inc. CEO Chris Benjamin, is about to move from information gathering to crafting solutions that initially will focus on a package of draft bills for the governor to submit for consideration in the upcoming legislative session that begins in January.

Team to Produce Policy Guidance for Climate Resilience and Disaster Recovery

In July 2024, Governor Josh Green, M.D., announced the full slate of members for the Climate Advisory Team (CAT) led by Chris Benjamin, chair of Climate Hawai‘i and a special advisor to the Governor.