Waikīkī flood adaptation research earns national award
April 14, 2026
Visualizing a future where Waikīkī’s iconic landscape is redesigned to survive rising tides has earned a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa research team the 2026 Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) Best Journal Article Award. The team leveraged scientific data, studies and community participation to create architectural renderings that visualize how Waikīkī’s built environment can be modified to accommodate future flooding. “By merging climate science with architectural design and integrating direct community feedback, we are creating forward-looking, actionable visions that will help coastal communities like Waikīkī successfully adapt to the growing realities of sea-level rise,” said Wendy Meguro, principal investigator and … Read more
Column: Pivotal time to spur climate resilience
April 5, 2026
Hawaii’s recent floods have shattered records and lives, with Kona-low storms dumping extraordinary rainfall on Oahu and Maui in March 2026. Our hearts are with every survivor who has lost homes, livelihoods and a sense of security amid the mud and wreckage. We also extend profound gratitude to the neighbors who pulled together to assist one another, and the rescue workers — from National Guard members wading through floodwaters to firefighters and first responders — whose courage and compassion embody aloha in action. These events are not isolated tragedies; they are stark revelations of our vulnerabilities. Systems designed for past … Read more
Kauaʻi Wants To Get Tough On Beachfront Home Renovations As Tides Climb
March 10, 2026
A nearly $4 million beachfront house on Wainiha Beach seems like a typical tropical vacation rental, with panoramic ocean views, a living area wrapped with floor-to-ceiling windows and five ensuite bedrooms. But with climate change making beaches like this one on Kaua‘i’s North Shore retreat, the county hopes to get tougher on houses that want to do repairs and other improvements within the shoreline setback. Bill 2984 would give the Kaua‘i Planning Department more authority to demand that such houses provide proof that the cost of their improvements fall under the county’s threshold for requiring that structures be moved outside … Read more
Spotlight Now: Green Fee Advisory Council on where $100M+ should go
February 2, 2026
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – On this edition of Spotlight Now, Green Fee Advisory Council members Eric Co and Dr. Chip Fletcher discussed how the $100 million or more should be spent. Last year, Gov. Josh Green signed Act 96, which increases taxes on hotel guests and vacation rental visitors. According to Co, environmental improvement efforts, climate-resilient infrastructure, and sustainable tourism should receive funding. Each effort should show tangible results, reduce harm, be ready in a reasonable timeframe, and build community relationships, said Co. “All of us in Hawaii know that we can do a lot with a little because were so … Read more
State begins emergency repairs at Kamehameha Hwy. at Kualoa
December 17, 2025
KUALOA (HawaiiNewsNow) – The state Department of Transportation has begun emergency repairs to a section of Kamehameha Highway near Kualoa Regional Park after erosion threatened to undermine the roadway. The DOT said the erosion was found on Monday by inspectors, and repairs were started Tuesday because of fears the roadway could fail. “Kualoa Beach is probably the fastest eroding section of shoreline in the state of Hawaii,” said Dr. Chip Fletcher of the University of Hawaii School of Ocean & Earth Science and Technology. “We’ve been monitoring that beach for several years,” he added. Fletcher and other scientists have been … Read more
Chip Fletcher: Hawaii and the Climate Crisis
December 1, 2025
We talk about the climate crisis all the time, but when was the last time you sat down for a refresher on the basic science? Join geologist and coastal systems expert Chip Fletcher for a primer on the physics behind rising temperatures, rising seas, jet stream deviations, extreme weather, and more. Understanding the mechanisms of warming and its cascading effects better equips us to evaluate proposals to mitigate and adapt.
‘It’s a disaster’: High surf chips away at coastlines, worrying oceanfront residents
November 11, 2025
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Several Kaaawa residents who live in multi-generational homes along the shoreline agree there is a common misconception about them and their properties. “We’re not rich, we just live here, rent here, our neighbors do own, they are not rich either, they’re elders,” said Rosemary Sablan. “So these are not rich people homes, we just happen to live by the beach.” This week’s winter swells sent high surf across the islands, prompting closures of Hawaii Island beach parks and reigniting erosion concerns for homeowners on Oahu.
New project to bolster leeward O‘ahu climate resilience
October 14, 2025
A new project, Building Climate Resilience in Wai‘anae Moku, led by the Coastal Research Collaborative (CRC) received vital funding from the Department of Defense, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. The $2.4 million grant will bolster efforts to confront escalating natural hazard-driven threats, ensuring a resilient future for this culturally-significant and geographically-vulnerable region. Through this initiative, the CRC, based in the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), is dedicated to safeguarding communities on Oʻahu’s leeward coast and critical military infrastructure in the Lualualei Annex. “Located in a region highly vulnerable to wildland … Read more
Study urges action along coastal communities with US projected to lose half its beaches by 2100
October 9, 2025
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A new study is rallying coastal communities to protect themselves amid big cuts to federal climate resilience programs. The Surfrider Foundation released its 2025 State of the Beach report, noting more than half of America’s beaches could disappear by the year 2100 due to climate-driven sea level rise. “We’re in a bit of a limbo situation right now with the government shutdown and the funding there, but there are a number of folks, on both sides of the aisle in Congress, who understand the importance of, for example, funding for sea grants for coastal resilience, for the … Read more
UH researchers call for new standards for building in coastal flood zones
September 8, 2025
September 2, 2025 A new study reveals a wide variety of approaches across the U.S. for establishing building elevation guidelines that account for future sea level rise, highlighting a need for more standardized methods. The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa research, published in Water, provides a critical resource for policymakers and designers in coastal communities such as Hawaiʻi who are planning for the impacts of climate change. “With coastal high tide flooding having doubled in the U.S. in the last two decades, it’s clear that we need to build for the future, not just for the past,” said lead author Wendy Meguro, an associate professor in … Read more