Decolonizing Climate Action

webinar + action series

Join the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi and allies for discussions and direct actions focused on centering climate solutions around Indigenous knowledge systems and our relationships with one another and the ʻāina. Creating a resilient thriving future, while equitably addressing the climate crisis, requires not only transitioning away from the broken systems that created today’s pandemonium but more importantly undergoing intentional work to heal ourselves to in turn heal our communities and the ʻāina.

PART ONE | Hawaiʻi’s Climate Keiki

Hawaiʻi’s keiki have already endured unprecedented climate events never experienced by generations before, adding to the list of inequities faced by younger generations today. With no time to waste, a handful of our islands’ brave keiki are taking Hawaiʻi’s state government to court for the harm it has caused their future and communities.

  • Webinar

    09.29 | 5:30-6:30PM
    Live on Facebook

    Join us live on Facebook for a virtual interactive discussion with three of the keiki plaintiffs in Navahine F. v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation. Hear from the keiki on why they joined this lawsuit, how the climate crisis has impacted their lives, what they are doing in and outside of the lawsuit, to mālama ʻāina, their communities, themselves, and more.

  • Virtual Action

    Padlets


    How has the climate crisis impacted your life? What do you think caused these impacts? How will you mālama ʻāina in light of the climate crisis?

    See what others are saying and share your experiences and manaʻo online today.

  • Youth Arts Event

    10.05 | 12-3PM
    ʻIolani Palace

    Come and create art to inspire climate action. Join Wisdom Circles Oceania, Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi, Hoʻopae Pono Peace Project and local artists.

    All ages and skill levels welcome, there will be painting, stenciling, live music and more.

About Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation

14 youth from Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu and Kauaʻi have filed suit against the State of Hawaiʻi for violating their constitutional right to a clean and life-sustaining climate. By continuing to operate a carbon-heavy transportation system, despite a state mandate to achieve a zero emission economy by 2045, the Hawaiʻi State Department of Transportation continues to contribute high levels of greenhouse gas emissions at an increasing rate—ultimately causing harm to the communities in which these youth reside and the destruction of our shared climate.

Represented by Earthjustice and Our Children’s Trust, the lawsuit filed by Hawaiʻi’s keiki is among dozens of similar suits across the globe. What sets Navahine F. v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation apart from these other suits is Hawaiʻi’s public trust doctrine. Established under the Hawaiian Kingdom and continued through Hawaiʻi’s constitution, the public trust doctrine requires state agencies to “conserve and protect Hawaiʻi’s natural beauty and all natural resources,” which includes a stable and livable climate.

Learn more here.

Additional resources

Mālama Monthly Series

Decolonization
Decolonizing Climate Action | by Lauren Ballesteros-Watanabe | May 2022
Positionality Matters | by Lauren Ballesteros-Watanabe | June 2022
Our Hawai‘i-Grown Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation: Recommitting to Mother Earth | Guest feature | August 2022

Navigating a climate in crisis
Interview with Chip Fletcher | by Sharde Freitas | July 2022