Sunday, December 1, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Green Names Climate Advisory Team
By News Release @ 8:59 PM :: 1097 Views :: Maui County, Energy, Environment, Hawaii State Government

GOVERNOR GREEN NAMES CLIMATE ADVISORY TEAM MEMBERS

Team to Produce Policy Guidance for Climate Resilience and Disaster Recovery

News Release from Office of the Governor, July 15, 2024

HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green, M.D., today 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. The CAT is charged with developing policy recommendations to minimize the impacts of future climate-related natural disasters and to speed recovery from the physical and financial damage they cause. The CAT will make policy recommendations in anticipation of the 2025 Hawaiʻi state legislative session through consultation with subject matter experts and community leaders.

As Hawai‘i continues to recover from the devastation caused by the historic Maui wildfire disaster, Governor Green has emphasized the importance of climate resilience efforts. In convening the CAT, the Governor reaffirmed his administration’s dedication to delivering a robust policy framework that prioritizes the well-being and security of residents, while effectively managing state resources for a sustainable and resilient future.

Understanding the growing threat that climate-related natural disasters pose to our islands, Governor Green created the CAT to recommend policies that will help promote resilience and recovery from the impacts of such events. The CAT includes local experts in climate, environmental stewardship and finance and insurance, who are dedicated to finding solutions that emphasize justice, equity and aloha ʻāina.

Governor Green and Chair Benjamin have added the following members to the Climate Advisory Team: 

  • Denise Antolini
  • Robin Campaniano
  • Chip Fletcher
  • Kawika Riley
  • Gwen Yamamoto Lau

Members of the CAT serve as unpaid volunteers and do not require Senate confirmation.

The CAT is assisted by Andy Winer of Strategies 360, Christine Matsuda of Pa‘akai Communications and experts in disaster response and recovery from firms including O’Melveny & Myers LLP, Ducera Partners LLC and Hueston Hennigan LLP.

The CAT is engaging with a wide range of community stakeholders and experts to inform its work. Its goal is to propose a package of bills for the Governor’s review, to be submitted for consideration in the 2025 legislative session.

“Climate-related disaster prevention is the best insurance, but some impacts are likely inevitable; that is why the CAT is focused on developing both resilience and recovery strategies,” said Chris Benjamin, chair of the CAT. “Resilience initiatives are likely to include investments in our natural environment to minimize the impact of climate change and in our built environment to reduce the potential loss of life and ensure shelter and economic activity.”

Recovery strategies that the CAT pursues will seek to address the difficult insurance market facing the state, with a goal of creating a disaster relief fund or otherwise providing a financial safety net for those impacted by natural disasters.

Office of the Governor Climate Advisory Team members:

Chris Benjamin, chair

Chris Benjamin, retired CEO of Alexander & Baldwin, now dedicates his time to climate-related initiatives. In addition to chairing the CAT, he founded and chairs Climate Hawai‘i, an initiative of the Hawai‘i Executive Collaborative, and serves as a special advisor to Governor Green.

Denise Antolini

Denise Antolini has more than 30 years of experience in the environmental law field in Hawai‘i. She retired in 2023 as Professor of Law Emerita from the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She is active in North Shore community and environmental issues.

Robin Campaniano

Robin Campaniano served as the state Insurance Commissioner and is the retired president and CEO of AIG Hawai‘i Insurance Co. Campaniano chairs the Shidler College of Business Advisory Council and the Hawaiʻi Clean Energy Initiative Steering Committee.

Chip Fletcher

Charles “Chip” Fletcher, Ph.D., serves as the Governor’s special advisor for climate and resilience and as the interim dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He brings extensive expertise in climate change, coastal community resiliency and sea level rise impacts.

Kāwika Riley

Kāwika Riley, Ph.D., is the vice president of External Affairs at Kupu, a leading youth-focused sustainability nonprofit working throughout Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific. His background includes conservation and growing Hawaiʻi’s sustainability workforce.

Gwen Yamamoto Lau

Gwen Yamamoto Lau is the executive director of the Hawai‘i Green Infrastructure Authority and was also recently appointed by Governor Green to serve on a joint Executive-Legislative Property Insurance Task Force. In addition to a background in banking and extensive experience in financing resilience initiatives, Gwen was appointed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan to serve on its Environmental Financial Advisory Board.

Photos of the CAT members can be found here.

A slide deck about the CAT and its objectives can be found here.

# # #

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii