I was in a suburb of New York City to spend time with my father during his final week of life. Early on the morning of August 9, in the space of two minutes, I learned of his death and of the Maui fires. Two emotionally intense events. It is critical that the...
The 2018 Paradise fire in California and the 2023 Lahaina fire had much in common. The utility detected faults on the transmission line. Shortly thereafter, fire erupted in an area suffering from drought, high winds, low humidity, and available fuel in the form...
By Olivia Chang, Life of the Land intern and a fossil fuel divestment organizer with Olin Climate Justice. Aviation accounts for at least a quarter of Hawaii’s emissions, and more if we account for emissions from international and military flights. The aviation...
Guest post by Olivia Chang. As the narrative around the climate crisis has shifted from a debate over its existence to one where polluters claim they are meaningfully committed to climate action, it can be difficult to distinguish between real solutions and...
Hurricane Lane passed to the south of the Hawai`i chain in August 2018. Intense 70-mph winds ignited a wildfire on the parched hillsides and fields above Lahaina. Towering walls of flames scorched more than 2,800 acres, devoured at least 21 structures, including 13...
The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission opened a proceeding to examine energy equity in December 2022. “Energy equity refers to the goal of achieving equity in both the social and economic participation in the energy system, while also remediating social, economic, and...