2024-09-25 PL-INT-2024-008759 GP 2045 Draft Comments - D. Thompson

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Hawaii General plan mentions the potential to sequester CO2 as rationale to reduce man made impacts, even though temperature levels are drastically lower now than they have been in 485 million years (see chart above) Photosynthesis activity in plants requires CO2 and only makes up 0.04% of our atmosphere. Reduction of this necessary element would have a catastrophic chain reaction and is a risk to ALL carbon based lifeforms. Several long-term studies have provided strong support demonstrating that growing crops under elevated [CO2] can increase photosynthesis and result in an increase in yield, flavour and nutritional content (including but not limited to Vitamins C, E and pro-vitamin A). In the case of tomato, increases in yield by as much as 80% are observed when plants are cultivated at woo ppm [CO2], which is consistent with current commercial greenhouse production methods in the tomato fruit industry. These results provide a clear demonstration of the potential for elevating [CO2] for improving yield and quality in greenhouse crops. https://academic.oup.com/hr/article/10/4/uhad026/7049409?login=false This testimony is to provide overall big picture of extinction level event(s) to instigate community emergency preparedness as part of the overall plan Increased solar radiation as a result of the earths weakening magnetosphere and polarity shift will significantly impact survivability of our community. There will be significant disruptions of the supply chain, challenges with food production, energy blackouts, and limited communications. Community preparedness for such events are not documented in the draft general plan, meanwhile many eastern hemisphere nations including Russia, Thailand, and Japan have been preparing for these events with local civil defense for years. Citizens of Hawaii county are aware of the influx of billionaires over the last 20 years that have had impact on county policy and planning. Many have taken permanent residence and hedging Hawaii island has a good chance of survivability during these changes. In light of this information, my suggestion is for our county to birth its own plan based on the needs of the community expressed in numerus testimonies and include space weather scenarios as potential hazards. County officials would be wise to form a committee of experienced personnel from various departments - including the local community members with relevant capabilities that can prioritize and draft a community plan that includes emergency preparedness that is relevant to our our island. We need to focus on independence with agricultural food production, innovative energy and building technologies and resilience thru preparation to create our own future we want to see. Mahalo for your service, Donna Thompson Kamuela, HI 4