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361 <br />Introduction <br />The climate change section of the General Plan is <br />intended to be used as a policy guide for the <br />coordinated climate mitigation and adaptation <br />efforts on Hawaii Island. This element provides a <br />high-level policy framework, building on the <br />scientific knowledge and government-level <br />strategies and actions developed in the Integrated <br />Action Plan (ICAP) for the island of Hawaii. The <br />ICAP establishes the County"s strategic roadmap <br />for implementing climate action by identifying <br />actions the County government can take to <br />mitigate and adapt to climate change. The <br />research collected, challenges identified, and <br />strategies proposed in the ICAP provide a <br />foundation for the General Plan. Recognizing the <br />purpose and scope of the ICAP, the General Plan <br />contains overarching policies and implementing <br />actions to help the County achieve the following <br />climate action objectives, in alignment with <br />existing State and County priorities. <br />Climate change refers to the long-term regional or <br />global average of temperature,, humidity, and <br />rainfall patterns over seasons, years, or decades. <br />Human -induced climate change is resulting in <br />global warming, or the long-term average heating <br />of the Earth's surface. The United Nations <br />Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change <br />(IPCC) has concluded in its most recent report that <br />human activities have unequivocally caused global <br />warming.' Climate change is already impacting the <br />lands and waters on which we live and the health <br />of our communities. Island communities such as <br />those on Hawaii Island are at the forefront of <br />climate change due to impacts, such as sea level <br />rise. Our small population and island geography <br />mean that a single climate change event has <br />cascading effects that significantly impact the <br />health of the land and people. <br />3.1.1 The Impacts of Climate Change <br />The islands of Hawaii are especially vulnerable to <br />the effects of climate change due to our isolated <br />geography. The County faces a unique set of <br />challenges and opportunities as we plan for a <br />sustainable future. Among the most pressing <br />issues is the impact of climate change on public <br />health., as illustrated in Figure S. As global <br />temperatures rise, our communities will continue <br />to experience rising sea levels, more frequent and <br />severe weather events, wildfires, increased coastal <br />erosion, biodiversity loss, and other shifting <br />ecological patterns. Residents will be directly <br />impacted as critical infrastructure, homes, and <br />other community assets along the coastline are <br />exposed to coastal hazards exacerbated by sea <br />level rise. Sea level rise also jeopardizes shallow <br />groundwater aquifers used for drinking water wells <br />and degrades water lines and wastewater systems, <br />1 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis Report of the IPCC Sixth Assessment (AR6) Summary for Policy <br />Makers (2023) https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6syr/pdf/iPCC AR6 SYR SPM.pdf <br />3.0 Addressing Climate Change for Island -Wide Health I County of Hawaii General Plan <br />56 <br />