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COUNTY OF HAWAII COUNCIL MEETING
Wednesday,August 2, 2023 — 9:00 A.M.
Ulupono Initiative s orts Resolution 203-23,Adopting t e 2023 Integrate
Climate Action Plan (ICRP) as the County's Official Strategic Plan to Achieve its
Emissions Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Goals and Targets
Dear Chair Kimball and Members of the Council:
My name is Micah Munekata,and I am the Director of Government Affairs at Ulupono
Initiative. We are a Hawai'i-focused impact investment firm that strives to improve the
quality of life throughout the islands by helping our communities become more resilient
and self-sufficient through locally produced food, renewable energy and clean
transportation choices, and better management of freshwater resources.
Ulupono supports Resolution 203-23,which adopts the 2023 ICRP for the County of
Hawai'i. The 2023 ICRP seeks to establish a greenhouse gas emission baseline from which
to develop interventions to reduce Hawaii County contributions to global climate change,
assess climate change impacts on the community, and identify potential climate change
mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Ulupono supports data-based decision-making,drawing upon verifiable and measurable
metrics to support policies and programs that will advance clean energy and
transportation policy. Having a robust, publicly available data source for measuring
greenhouse gas emissions will be crucial to understanding the status and impact of policy
changes going forward.
Ulupono supports the many county intervention points identified in each of the ICAP's
climate cascades: Greenhouse Gas Emissions,Air and Sea Surface Temperature, Drought
and Severe Rainfall Events, Sea Level Rise, and Tropical Cyclones and Storm Surge.
Ulupono supports the expansion of the county's renewable energy resources, energy
efficient buildings, and electric vehicle infrastructure. We support the reduction of vehicle
miles traveled and believe that increasing the community's multi-modal options, including
the application of complete streets strategies,will promote safe,clean transportation
choices. We support the clean transportation efforts of the county to transition its fleet to
zero emissions. We support opportunities for reducing the impact of cesspools and better
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stewardship of water. We also support the county's efforts to support local agriculture and
increase community access to local food through successful programs such as "DA BUS{"
Double Up Food Bucks.
Over the last decade,the County of Hawaii has made several bold steps towards
addressing climate change and taking a proactive role in its climate future. By adopting the
2023 ICAP,the county is dedicating resources to reduces its contribution to climate change
while also creating resilient policies, programs and infrastructure. Additionally,the recent
establishment of the Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity,and Resilience (OSCER) is a
significant step toward county alignment and coordination for the many strategic actions
needed across the island. This resolution sends a strong signal to the local community in
both the County of Hawaii and the State of Hawaii that climate impacts must be taken
seriously and aggressively addressed through strategic action.
We respectfully suggest that the Council consider amending the "Be it finally resolved"
clause on page 2 of the resolution to add each of the identified Hawaii County departments
with primary responsibilities in the 2023 ICAP (table on page 12 of the 2023 ICAP).
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Respectfully,
Micah Munekata
Director of Government Affairs