Natural Hazard Resilience
Public Views on Sea Level Rise in Hawaiʻi: Results from a Statewide Survey
By Ketty Loeb, Colin D. Moore, Zena Grecni, and Victoria Keener This statewide survey of Hawaiʻi residents is the first systematic effort to measure public beliefs, risk perceptions, and policy preferences related to sea level rise across all four counties. Conducted from July to August 2025 with a representative sample of 1,314 adults, the survey […]
Read MoreConsensus, Urgency, and the Cost Question: What Hawaiʻi Residents Think About Sea Level Rise
By Colin Moore, Ketty Loeb, Zena Grecni, and Victoria Keener Hawaiʻi is among the most vulnerable places in the United States to sea level rise. Nearly all residents live near the coast, where housing, transportation networks, tourism infrastructure, and cultural sites are concentrated. Chronic flooding and beach erosion are already visible in many communities, and […]
Read MoreAssessing the Risks of Sea Level Rise: Knowledge and Policy Preferences Among Hawaiʻi’s Civil Servants
By Ketty Loeb, Colin D. Moore and Sandeep Kandikuppa This survey captures the views of Hawaiʻi’s civil servants on the risks associated with SLR and their preferred strategies for adaptation. Conducted between June and August 2024, the survey targeted employees from State and County agencies across Hawaiʻi’s four counties (Hawai‘i County, Honolulu County, Kaua‘i County, […]
Read MoreScaling biocultural initiatives can support nature, food, and culture from summit to sea
Biocultural nature-based solutions provide many social, cultural, and ecological benefits. Yet, there has been little research on related land-sea societal benefits, hindering our ability to finance and scale these solutions. To help fill this gap, we evaluate the land-sea benefits of scaling biocultural restoration initiatives in Hawaiʻi, including multi-strata agroforestry and high-elevation silvopasture combined with […]
Read MoreNew UHERO Environment contribution in Ocean Nature Sustainability. Scaling biocultural initiatives can support nature, food, and culture from summit to sea.
Biocultural nature-based solutions provide many social, cultural, and ecological benefits. Yet, there has been little research on related land-sea societal benefits, hindering our ability to finance and scale these solutions. To help fill this gap, we evaluate the land-sea benefits of scaling biocultural restoration initiatives in Hawaiʻi, including multi-strata agroforestry and high-elevation silvopasture combined with […]
Read MoreCarbon Benefits of Agroforestry Transitions on Fallow Agricultural Lands – New UHERO Environment publication in Scientific Reports
New UHERO Environment publication in Scientific Reports demonstrates important carbon benefits of transitioning fallow agricultural lands into varying agroforestry systems across Hawaiʻi. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-87891-y
Read MoreCarbon benefits through agroforestry transitions on unmanaged fallow agricultural land in Hawaiʻi
There are growing efforts to incorporate agroforestry into ecosystem service incentive programs. Indigenous and other place-based multi-strata agroforestry systems are important conservation and agricultural strategies, yet their ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration benefits, have received little research attention. To fill this gap, we draw on interviews with agroforestry practitioners and ecosystem service modeling in Hawaiʻi […]
Read MoreAdaptation Strategies for Sea Level Rise: Perspectives from Hawaiʻi’s Elected Officials
By Ketty A. Loeb and Colin D. Moore Read the full report. Due to its remote geographic location and extensive coastlines, the State of Hawai‘i is particularly vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise (SLR). While Hawai‘i was among the first states to officially recognize the climate crisis and has played a leading role […]
Read MoreThe Risks of Sea Level Rise: Perceptions and Policy Preferences among Hawai‘i’s Elected Officials
Read the summary blog post. Due to its remote geographic location and extensive coastlines, the State of Hawai‘i is particularly vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise (SLR). While Hawai‘i was among the first states to officially recognize the climate crisis and has played a leading role in combating climate change, Hawai‘i’s lawmakers are […]
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