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Island , Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Climate Adaptation Actions to Aa��
<br /> Integrated Climate Action Plan for the Build Local Resilience to Climate Change
<br /> Hotter air temperature poses risks to human health.
<br /> Hot temperatures can be unsafe, especially for vulnerable populations and people exposed for
<br /> extended periods of time. Kupuna and keiki, especially keiki playing outside, are even more susceptible
<br /> to the effects of extreme heat. Prolonged exposure to extreme heat can cause heat exhaustion, heat
<br /> stroke, and death, as well as exacerbating preexisting chronic conditions such as respiratory, cerebral,
<br /> and cardiovascular diseases.63 Hot temperatures become more dangerous when combined with high
<br /> humidity, as humidity compromises the effectiveness of sweat cooling the body. This means the higher
<br /> the humidity, the hotter temperatures feel Heat indices measure the combination of humidity and
<br /> temperature. Urban areas lack the tree canopy and green spaces that absorb heat and provide shade.
<br /> Instead, infrastructure, like buildings and roads, increases the surrounding temperature, creating an
<br /> urban heat island effect.
<br /> Plants, birds, and other living beings will migrate and will likely be more
<br /> stressed with increasing air temperature.
<br /> Temperature is an essential part of how living beings regulate our behavior. The gender of honu `ea
<br /> [hawksbill turtles] is affected by temperature, with warmer temperatures leading to more female honu
<br /> born.64 Mamo and other damselfish species regulate their metabolism through temperature. Higher
<br /> temperatures have been shown to negatively affect their ability to metabolize and swim.65 Increased air
<br /> temperature will affect the behavioral patterns of living beings on Hawaii island, often in ways we can't
<br /> yet predict. For example, avian mosquitoes are migrating mauka with warmer air temperatures,
<br /> harming native bird populations that live at higher elevations.66
<br /> Some plant species may benefit from higher concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Increased
<br /> carbon may boost forest growth and crop yields by increasing rates of photosynthesis and decreasing
<br /> the loss of water from transpiration.67 However, other factors critical to plants' growth, such as nutrients,
<br /> temperature, and water, may limit growth.68 For example, the seed production of koa decreases in
<br /> response to higher temperatures.69 There are many ways living creatures can adapt to increased
<br /> temperature. In alpine ecosystems across the Pacific, species have been migrating to higher elevations
<br /> in response to climate change.70 Increasing temperature exacerbates drought intensity due to higher
<br /> 63 National Institutes of Environmental Health.2022. Climate and Human Health.
<br /> https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/climatechange/health impacts/heat/index.cfm#:—:text=Prolonged%20exposure%20to%
<br /> 20extreme%20heat,%2C%20cerebral%2C%20and%20cardiovascular%20diseases.
<br /> 64National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2022). Hawaiian Hawksbill Sea Turtle Brochure.
<br /> https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/2022-02/hawaiian-hawksbill-sea-turtle-brochure-PIRO.pdf
<br /> 65 Johansen,J.L.and Jones, G.P. (2011), Increasing ocean temperature reduces the metabolic performance and swimming ability of
<br /> coral reef damselfishes. Global Change Biology, 17:2971-2979. https://doi.org/10.1111/1.1365-2486.2011.02436.x
<br /> 66 L. B. Fortini, L. R. Kaiser, D.A. LaPointe, Fostering real-time climate adaptation:Analyzing past,current,and forecast temperature
<br /> to understand the dynamic risk to Hawaiian honeycreepers from avian malaria. Glob. Ecol. Conserv.23, e01069 (2020).
<br /> 67 NASA.2022. NASA Study: Rising Carbon Dioxide Levels Will Help and Hurt Crops
<br /> https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/nasa-study-rising-carbon-dioxide-levels-will-help-and-hurt-crops
<br /> fi8 Cho, Renee.2022. How will climate change affect plants? https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2022/01/27/how-climate-change-will-
<br /> affect-plants/
<br /> fi9 Pau, S, Cordell, S, Ostertag, R, Inman, F, Sack, L. Climatic sensitivity of species'vegetative and reproductive phenology in a
<br /> Hawaiian montane wet forest. Biotropica.2020; 52: 825—835. 1-ttps://doi.orq/10.1111/btp.12801
<br /> 70 Frazier,A. G., &Brewington, L. (2020). Current Changes in Alpine Ecosystems of Pacific Islands. In M. I.Goldstein &D.A.
<br /> DellaSala (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the World's Biomes (pp. 607-619). Oxford: Elsevier.
<br /> Climate Cascade 2:Air and Sea Surface Temperature 46
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