September 14, 2018

Original media:http://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/09/14/hawaii-news/ige-and-caldwell-attend-global-climate-summit-in-san-francisco

Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell are attending the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco this week.

Ige, who delayed his departure because of the threat of now-Tropical Depression Olivia, is among the featured speakers at the summit, which includes former Vice President Al Gore, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, actor Harrison Ford, singer-songwriter Dave Matthews and primatologist Jane Goodall. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and Caldwell also are listed as featured speakers.

The summit, which started Wednesday and continues through today, brings government, nonprofit and business leaders and other influential people together to address climate change.

Caldwell departed for San Francisco on Thursday, accompanied by Chief Resilience Officer Josh Stanbro, who is also executive director of the city’s Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency.

Caldwell said he was invited by California Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration to address the summit on the topic of “Oceans and Climate Change” as well as to speak at several sessions about Hawaii’s leadership on renewable energy, open space and urban forestry.

Both Ige and Caldwell plan to showcase Hawaii’s leadership on climate issues and to sign the “Powering Past Coal” commitment to prevent any new coal-fired power generation in Hawaii.

The summit focuses on five key issues: healthy energy systems, inclusive economic growth, sustainable communities, land and ocean stewardship, and transformative climate investments.

“This summit is a unique opportunity for Honolulu to both learn and share with the other cities and states that are committed to climate action even as the federal government fails to protect our planet and the American people,” said Caldwell in a news release. “We are only halfway through the hurricane season and we’re running out of letters in the alphabet to name storms — it’s clear after tropical cyclones Lane and Olivia that we need to act now to build resilience and move away from fossil fuels immediately.”

Ige and Caldwell also will be part of the welcoming ceremony and celebration starting at noon Sunday at San Francisco’s Aquatic Park for the arrival of the Hikianalia voyaging canoe and its crew, who already have landed at Half Moon Bay in California.

Ige and Caldwell are scheduled to return to Oahu on Sunday.