02-12 Hawaii

The Hawaiian Islands are the exposed peaks of a great underwater mountain range. There are eight fairly large islands and dozens of smaller ones.
The big island is called Hawaii and Hilo its major city. And cattle ranches that compete with Texas. Hawaii boasts the best fish and the best beef. I agree. But, what draws the tourists is an active volcano.
The next in size is Maui, the most beautiful island in the world. Mary and I have spent the month of January there, ten years in a row. It’s a tourist haven with flatlands, mountains, rainforests, coffee and humpback whales. Lahaina is the old whaling capital of the islands. Put this place on your bucket list.
We stayed at the base of the Haleakala volcano in South Maui and were warned that earthquakes can send tsunamis racing to shore and that are best retreat is to climb up the side of the volcano.
The next island is called Oahu and includes the populated city of Honolulu, the famous beaches of Waikiki and my favourite hotel in all the world, The Royal Hawaiian seen at the left of the photo. Also on Oahu is Pearl Harbor, the US naval base attacked by the Japanese in 1941.
What the climate scientists are predicting is ocean levels rising at least three feet by 2100 and island temperatures higher by say 5 degrees Fahrenheit. And what will plague all of the Pacific island communities is warmer and more acidic waters with its impact on their coral and ocean life.
We get some extreme Hawaiian weather today, and the photo is not weird. In Maui at least once every January a storm would completely remove the beaches. But over a period of days, the large ocean waves would bring back the sand.
What the scientists are predicting is the disappearance of 40% of their beaches, the destruction of their massive coral reefs and other scary stuff. Like monster waves and wind gusts. And changing downfalls of rain that pose a threat to the aquifers.
Even while we were holidaying there it was common for condos to use catchment systems to take rainwater that flowed off the rooves and store it for drinking purposes. Everyone boiled their water.
While we were driving around the island, it was not unusual to have waves washing across the highway on a windy day. Lots of windy days. All the Island roads are along the ocean, so it is easy to see that with ocean levels rising, island transportation would come to a halt.
It is hard to think of a tourist area more threatened by climate change than the Hawaiian Islands. And then there are tens of thousands of Americans with investments in condos on all the islands. Investments for their children and grandchildren to enjoy.
Yes, there are people worried about the implications of climate change as far ahead as 2100.