Climate security threats to Hawaii outlined in report

DENNIS FUJIMOTO / THE GARDEN ISLAND

By Kevin Knodell for Honolulu Star-Advertiser

As 2025 came to an end, a climate report released by the Council on Strategic Risks outlined how climate change could threaten both Hawaii’s civilian and military communities, and how cuts to programs that monitor weather and other environmental threats could leave both more vulnerable.

The report by CSR — a non-partisan security policy institute based in Washington, D.C. — warns that “with its diverse landscapes and geographic isolation, Hawai‘i is exceptionally vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Shifting rainfall and seasonal patterns affect local food security and biodiversity; heat and drought stress water supplies, impacting human health and increasing wildfire risk; and coastal flooding and inundation threaten economic security, including infrastructure, agriculture, and tourism.”

Click here to read the full story from the Jan. 5 issue of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser