International Climate Strike comes to UH Hilo
Students organized the local event to participate in an international movement to heighten awareness on climate change.
By Lara Hughes/photos by Daniel Nathaniel/UH Hilo Stories.
A group of students, faculty and guests gathered at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo library lanai on Monday to participate in a global youth movement called the International Climate Strike, meant to coincide with the first day of the United Nations COP21 climate talks in Paris. Students were asked to walk out of their classes and other activities to bring attention to the need to move away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy and to support communities that are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
The event was sponsored by the UH Hilo Student Union along with Global HOPE Hawaiʻi and other student organizations.
“I went to the walkout, because aside from making small changes in our lives, if we want to have a bigger positive impact on the planet, we need to stand together,” says James “Kimo” Melcher IV, a senior majoring in environmental science. “The ability of this planet to sustain us as a species isn’t fixed, and the future of our species is dependent on our collective actions.”
UH Hilo faculty Ryan Perroy, an assistant professor of geography, and Jonathan Price, an associate professor and chair of the geography and environmental science department, spoke at the event. In an interview preceding their remarks to the group, the professors talked about the ways climate change is impacting Hawai’i.
“I think climate change is one of the greatest threats facing both our community here in Hawaiʻi and people globally,” says Perroy who specializes in researching land degradation such as erosion and invasive species, using remote sensing, X-ray fluorescence, and other field methods. “We need to do a better job of mitigating and getting ready for (the future).”
Perroy further explains, “A major (impact) is sea level rise and what’s happening with the coral in terms of the bleaching and acidification of the ocean waters. It’s going to hit us very hard, not only environmentally but also economically.”
He says UH Hilo is making the move toward sustainability with the goal to become totally carbon neutral by the year 2050. Solar panels on the library are a part of that initiative, coupled with power-down periods of non-essential electronics on campus during off-peak hours. Other on-campus projects are underway such as recycling.
- Learn more about sustainability practices at UH Hilo: UH Hilo Energy Savings and Sustainability Committee.
Associate Professor Price specializes in utilizing geographic information systems or GIS to identify biodiversity hotspots for native bird and plant species, search for rare species, and locate appropriate areas for the restoration of threatened and endangered species.
“From a biodiversity standpoint we’re already starting to see a lot of strain on species that have issues with rising temperatures,” he says.
“For example, we have native forest birds that are susceptible to mosquito-borne disease and with increasing temperatures mosquitoes are able to move further up the mountain. This can negatively impact bird populations. You can think of a parallel with human-borne disease as well.”
He adds, “I would say this is the global environmental issue of our time. Even right here in Hawai’i it has very direct and pertinent consequences to our natural ecosystems, agriculture and human health.”
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Story by Lara Hughes, a junior at UH Hilo majoring in business administration. She is a public information intern in the Office of the Chancellor.
Photos by Daniel Nathaniel, a senior at UH Hilo majoring in linguistics on the GI Bill. Previously, he served nine years as superintendent of public affairs, 624th Regional Support Group at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Oʻahu. He currently is a photographer in the Office of the Chancellor.
