RATIONALE:
Climate change is not just an environmental crisis – it’s a public health emergency. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and rising sea levels threaten everything from food and water security to mental health and economic stability. Vulnerable communities – including kūpuna, keiki, and those with chronic health conditions – are hit hardest by the health impacts of the climate crisis. By formally recognizing climate change as a public health emergency, Hawai‘i can better mobilize resources, foster cross-sector collaboration, and protect the health and well-being of everyone across the islands we call home.
Hawaiʻi has already led the nation by declaring a climate emergency in 2021. This new resolution builds on that leadership by explicitly recognizing the dire impacts of climate change on human health and calling for statewide coordination to strengthen our public health response.
TAKE ACTION NOW:
Public hearings are an opportunity for the public to weigh in on bills being considered by lawmakers. Submitting testimony for these hearings is an important way to let lawmakers know your position on these important issues. All you need to do is share why you are in strong support (we have some talking points below to get you started!). Each hearing may have different lawmakers, so you must submit testimony each time there is a new hearing.
Hearing Information
Measure: SCR 111
Position: Support
Committee: House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection
Date/Time: Thursday, April 10 at 9:00 AM
How to Submit Testimony
- Log-in /make an account on the Capitol website.
- Go to the status page for SCR 111 and click on the “Submit Testimony” button.
- Upload or write your testimony in SUPPORT of the measure (It doesn’t need to be long!).
- Please submit testimony by Wednesday, April 9 at 9:00 AM (at least 24 hours in advance) to ensure your testimony is received on time and reviewed by the committee members!
SAMPLE TESTIMONY:
Aloha Chair and Members of the Committee,
I am writing in strong support of this proposal. Climate change is not a distant threat—it is already harming the health of Hawaiʻi’s people through extreme heat, vector-borne diseases, food and water insecurity, mental health stress, and more. By declaring a public health emergency and urging coordination across state agencies, this resolution helps ensure that we protect our most vulnerable residents, scale up existing public health systems to better respond to climate impacts, safeguard critical resources, and build resilient communities. Please support this measure to ensure that Hawaiʻi strengthens our public health systems and fosters the cross-sector collaboration necessary to address the climate and health crisis.
Mahalo for the opportunity to testify on this critical issue.
TALKING POINTS:
- Direct Health Impacts: Climate change is increasing the incidence of heat-related illness, prevalence of wildfires, asthma from air pollution and wildfire smoke, and risk of vector-borne diseases carried by mosquitoes.
- Threats to Food & Water Security: Droughts, extreme weather, and changing ocean conditions disrupt agriculture and threaten clean water supplies, risking food insecurity and waterborne disease.
- Mental Health & Eco-Grief: Climate-related anxiety and stress are on the rise, leading to greater risks of depression and other mental health challenges, especially for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities with deep connections to our ʻāina.
- Vulnerability of Island Communities: As an island state, Hawaiʻi faces rising seas, stronger hurricanes, and other extreme events that can damage infrastructure critical to public health and food security, and displace residents.
- Cross-Sector Solutions: Protecting public health from climate change requires breaking down silos. This resolution urges collaboration among all state agencies to plan and act together, ensuring a holistic response that prioritizes human well-being.