BeyondKONA: Politics & Policy
Power, politics, money, and finally policy are undeniably linked in every modern democracy, and Hawai’i is no different in this regard, yet the Aloha spirit can set Hawai’i apart from mainland and global political influences. Vested interests may work to divide us, but we are one island and one community living together here on Hawai’i Island.
Outsized voices seek to fulfill special interest agendas; some succeed by influencing government policy that benefits a few at the expense of many. Hawai’i can transition to a home grown clean energy economy that benefits all, and supports sustainable lifestyles once successfully practiced by the ancient Hawaiians serving as our guide for the 21st century.
Hawaii’s rich environment and its people are its primary assets. Community participation is the political engine that drives policy and solutions — both require public voices to be heard loud and clear in our island community and across the state legislature. All good things are possible when guided by science, progressive governance, cultural and economic fulfillment.
- Lou Guillette Jr. Memorial Symposiumby Sarah Howard on February 14, 2025 at 3:36 pm
The agenda is now available for the March 14-15 Lou Guillette Jr. Memorial Symposium, hosted by HEEDS, at the University of Florida. It will celebrate the life […]
- HEEDS publishes timeline on the history of the EDC fieldby Sarah Howard on February 14, 2025 at 3:30 pm
Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS) now provides a comprehensive history of the endocrine disruptor scientific field via an online […]
- Opinion: RFK Jr.’s disinformation is a rallying cry for women in STEMby Kathryn Rodgers on February 14, 2025 at 2:58 pm
I have never been so motivated and grateful to be a woman in science as while watching Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Senate Finance Committee nomination […]
- North Carolina EDC working group 5th annual meetingby Sarah Howard on February 13, 2025 at 12:46 pm
On Friday, April 25, 2025, Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS) is hosting the 5th Annual Meeting of EDC-NC, its North Carolina […]
- US wildfire suppressants rife with toxic heavy metals, study findsby Tom Perkins on February 13, 2025 at 11:00 am
Suppressants a ‘major’ source of toxic pollution that causes heavy-metal levels to spike in the environmentThe US federal government and chemical makers […]
- Phthalates detected in 11 popular brands of essential oilsby EHN Editors on February 13, 2025 at 8:56 am
Twenty-two kinds of essential oils from 11 popular brands contain detectable levels of phthalates, according to a new report from Mamavation. Partnering with […]
- EPA cuts raise concerns about clean air and water protectionsby EHN Curators on February 13, 2025 at 8:53 am
President Donald Trump’s administration is rapidly downsizing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, raising questions about whether it can still enforce […]
- Shell’s petrochemical plant in Pennsylvania still hasn’t spurred economic development: Reportby Kristina Marusic on February 12, 2025 at 12:46 pm
PITTSBURGH — After more than two years in operation, Shell’s petrochemical plant in Pennsylvania has failed to deliver economic growth to the surrounding […]
- Cáncer ocupacional: riesgo silencioso en el trabajoby EHN Curators on February 12, 2025 at 10:30 am
El cáncer ocupacional es una de las enfermedades más graves provocada por la exposición prolongada a sustancias cancerígenas en el trabajo (asbesto, […]
- Webinar: Ultrashort-chain PFAS: the global threat of trifluoroacetic acidby Sarah Howard on February 11, 2025 at 4:41 pm
This Feb. 19, 2025 webinar features Dr. Hans Peter Arp discussing TFA, a degradation product of many refrigerants and a widespread contaminant in the […]
- Webinar: Plastics, chemicals and cancer: The role of the Global Plastics Treaty in preventing breast cancerby Sarah Howard on February 11, 2025 at 4:37 pm
This Feb. 27 webinar is sponsored by CHE-Alaska. Researchers at the Silent Spring Institute recently identified more than 900 chemicals that could increase […]
- Webinar: GMO corn and glyphosate: New evidence from Mexican scientists (in English and Spanish)by Sarah Howard on February 11, 2025 at 4:28 pm
This March 4 webinar will discuss Mexico’s recently released scientific review document, and will be presented with simultaneous English/Spanish […]
- Webinar: Impacts of fracking in North and South America (in English and Spanish)by Sarah Howard on February 11, 2025 at 4:04 pm
This March 26 webinar will be presented with simultaneous English/Spanish interpretation. It will discuss the 9th edition of the Compendium of Scientific, […]
- Esperan que la administración Trump ponga a los trabajadores de justicia ambiental y derechos civiles en licencia administrativaby EHN Curators on February 11, 2025 at 3:59 pm
Los empleados de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA) que trabajan en la oficina de justicia ambiental y derechos civiles esperan una nueva ronda de […]
- Trump firma orden para volver a las pajitas de plástico y dice que las de papel “no funcionan”by EHN Curators on February 11, 2025 at 3:51 pm
Donald Trump anunció el lunes que prohibirá el uso de pajitas de papel en todo Estados Unidos, alegando que “no funcionan” y no duran mucho.
- Reforma legal de maíz transgénico beneficia a trasnacionalesby EHN Curators on February 11, 2025 at 3:48 pm
La iniciativa de reforma constitucional para proteger a los maíces de México establece protección sólo frente al maíz transgénico.
- Carlos Pedrós-Alió, ecólogo microbiano: "Estamos acelerando muchísimo la extinción de especies"by EHN Curators on February 11, 2025 at 3:47 pm
Dado el ritmo actual de extinción, es probable que algunos animales y plantas desaparezcan antes de haberlos descrito. Nos lo cuenta Carlos Pedrós-Alió en […]
- Los campesinos que cuidan los canales incas para que Lima beba incluso cuando hay sequíaby EHN Curators on February 11, 2025 at 3:44 pm
Una comunidad de la sierra peruana lidera una iniciativa para resistir ante las impredecibles lluvias y el aumento de la temperatura. Su labor ayuda a […]
- A medida que aumenta la temporada de incendios, los senadores de California presionan para que haya más bomberos durante todo el añoby EHN Curators on February 11, 2025 at 3:19 pm
El Senado, y el presidente del Senado, Mike McGuire, propuso que bomberos trabajen a tiempo completo en lugar de nueve meses cada año.
- Environmental group left in limbo after federal grant suddenly vanishesby EHN Curators on February 11, 2025 at 12:11 pm
A South Carolina environmental nonprofit lost access to a $365,000 federal grant after the Trump administration froze Inflation Reduction Act funds, leaving […]
- The silent threat beneath our feet: How deregulation fuels the spread of forever chemicalsby Paul Adepoju on February 10, 2025 at 12:47 pm
This article was originally published in The Revelator and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.The water flowing from taps in Wilmington, […]
- Charlotte O’Dwyer became the face of black summer’s terrible toll. Five years after the fires her family looks backby Kate Lyons, Petra Stock, Donna Lu, Graham Readfearn, Sarah Collard, Marni Cordell and Andy Ball on February 9, 2025 at 7:00 pm
On this day in 2020 the worst of the massive bushfires finally went out – but Australia had little time to grieve as the Covid pandemic took hold. Five years […]
- Mexico authorities order factory cleanup after Guardian toxic waste investigationby Verónica García de León and Erin McCormick on February 8, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Inquiry uncovered health problems in neighborhood near Monterrey-area plant that processes US hazardous wasteMexican environmental regulators say they have […]
- Trump to reverse Biden’s plan to phase out plastic straws across US governmentby Oliver Milman on February 8, 2025 at 3:41 pm
President said he will sign an executive order next week despite global plastics crisisDonald Trump has said that he will reverse Joe Biden’s plan to phase […]
- River near Buenos Aires turns bright red after suspected industrial dye leakby Sam Jones on February 7, 2025 at 1:36 pm
Residents living near the Sarandí have long complained about pollution in the areaA small river in greater Buenos Aires was dyed a deep and worrying shade of […]
- AI-generated climate solutions tend to favor small policy changes over bold actionby EHN Curators on February 7, 2025 at 11:52 am
AI-powered chatbots suggest modest tweaks to climate policy rather than systemic changes, reinforcing the status quo, a new study finds.Sarah DeWeerdt reports […]
- Air pollution reduces people’s ability to focus on everyday tasks, study findsby Olivia Lee on February 6, 2025 at 11:27 am
Even brief exposure to particulate matter found to impede selective attention and emotional recognitionA person’s ability to focus on everyday tasks is […]
- ‘It’s not just a few ships doing it’: how the world’s plastic ends up on a Guernsey beachby Euan Mahy on February 6, 2025 at 6:00 am
The work of local volunteer Richard Lord is being referenced by international aid organisationsEvidence of the extent of the world’s plastic litter problem […]
- Op-ed: Putting communities at the heart of plastic pollution initiativesby Timnit Kefela, Phd, Msc on February 5, 2025 at 1:08 pm
It was planting day. In prior weeks, our students voted on the vegetables they wanted to grow and began preparing for that day.We left the seeds to […]
- Evidence of “forever chemicals” found in everyday brasby EHN Editors on February 5, 2025 at 1:07 pm
Seven out of 14 bras tested have detectable levels of fluorine, an indicator of toxic PFAS, according to a new report from Mamavation.In 2022, Mamavation, an […]
- Opinión: Solucionar la contaminación plástica debe poner en el centro a las comunidadesby Timnit Kefela, Phd, Msc on February 5, 2025 at 10:01 am
Era día de siembra. En las semanas previas, nuestros estudiantes habían votado por los vegetales que querían sembrar y habían empezado a prepararse para […]
- Los impactos ambientales y financieros de las primeras medidas de Trump en Latinoaméricaby EHN Curators on February 5, 2025 at 7:36 am
Donald Trump emitió una serie de órdenes ejecutivas para sobre temas de medio ambiente, migración y diversidad.
- Sustainable reusable theatre caps made from plant-based material created for NHS Scotlandby EHN Curators on February 4, 2025 at 3:50 pm
Scotland's Golden Jubilee University National Hospital has helped to design theatre caps made from plant-based material.
- Un estudio encuentra altas concentraciones de plásticos en placentas de bebés prematurosby EHN Curators on February 4, 2025 at 2:50 pm
Los investigadores utilizaron espectrometría de masas de alta sensibilidad para analizar 175 placentas.
- El deshielo de Groenlandia se acelera por el cambio climáticoby EHN Curators on February 4, 2025 at 2:47 pm
Las grietas de sus glaciares han aumentado hasta un 25% según nueva investigación a gran escala.
- DNA of rare mussels found in Seine raises hopes Paris clean-up is workingby Kim Willsher in Paris on February 4, 2025 at 2:46 pm
Scientists taking samples from city’s river did not expect to find presence of under-threat molluscsTraces of rare mussels sensitive to pollution and thought […]
- El verdadero coste del oro: un nuevo proyecto minero reaviva un viejo conflicto en República Dominicanaby EHN Curators on February 4, 2025 at 2:41 pm
El último capítulo de la tensa relación entre la comunidad de Cotuí y la minera canadiense Barrick Gold amenaza con dejar a 653 familias desplazadas y dos […]
- La amenaza global de las bacterias resistentes a los antibióticos ya está aquíby EHN Curators on February 4, 2025 at 2:38 pm
Los científicos y los médicos no pueden seguir el ritmo de la ola de personas cuyos cuerpos no responden al tratamiento con antibióticos básico debido a la […]
- ‘The last drops of our water’: how a mine left some of Peru’s poorest high and dryby Anna Heikkinen and Aramís Castro in San Marcos, Peru on February 4, 2025 at 12:00 pm
Antamina, in the Andes, makes billions thanks to the green tech boom. But locals say they are being poisoned by arsenic, losing their water and sinking further […]
- Vehicle tyres found to be biggest source of nanoplastics in the high Alpsby Damian Carrington Environment editor on February 4, 2025 at 10:35 am
Mountaineers now scaling more peaks for first global study of nanoplastics, which can enter lungs and bloodstreamParticles from vehicle tyre wear are the […]
- Trump has brought much-needed attention to a site of great tragedy: the Gulf of Mexico | Greg Grandinby Greg Grandin on February 3, 2025 at 4:21 pm
Environmental disasters have plagued the water body for decades. Now the region is thrust in the global spotlightThe enormous semi-enclosed bay, its waters […]
- Levels of microplastics in human brains may be rapidly rising, study suggestsby Damian Carrington Environment editor on February 3, 2025 at 4:00 pm
Research looking at tissue from postmortems between 1997 and 2024 finds upward trend in contaminationSign up for the Detox Your Kitchen newsletter on avoiding […]
- Study finds microplastic contamination in 99% of seafood samplesby Tom Perkins on February 3, 2025 at 12:00 pm
The peer-reviewed study detected microplastics in 180 of 182 samples comprising five types of fish and pink shrimpSign up for the detox your kitchen […]
- I always needed background noise in my life. Then I turned off my phone and embraced the silence | Krissi Driverby Krissi Driver on February 3, 2025 at 10:00 am
The cacophony around me seemed to drown out my daily worries until a writing retreat showed me there was a better way I’ve lived in South Korea for more than […]
- UK scientist wins prize for invention that could help avert ‘phosphogeddon’by Robin McKie Science Editor on February 2, 2025 at 6:00 am
Phosphate, key to food production, is choking waterways, but a new sponge-like material returns it to the soil for cropsIt is one of the least appreciated […]
- ‘Humanure’: RHS plans rollout of first compost toilet to fertilise flowerbedsby Donna Ferguson on February 1, 2025 at 4:01 pm
The horticultural charity’s showpiece garden in Surrey is setting aside an space to test human waste fertiliserFor more than 200 years, gardeners at the […]
- Microplastics in placentas linked to premature births, study suggestsby Damian Carrington Environment editor on January 30, 2025 at 10:30 pm
Tiny plastic pollution more than 50% higher in placentas from preterm births than in those from full-term birthsA study has found microplastic and nanoplastic […]
- How US states are leading the climate fight – despite Trump’s rollbacksby Dharna Noor on January 30, 2025 at 3:30 pm
Officials are making clean-energy moves in California, New York and beyond, and Republican states will be integral tooAs the Trump administration rolls back […]
- Vets urged to cut back on flea treatments amid UK biodiversity fearsby Helena Horton Environment reporter on January 29, 2025 at 9:00 am
University of Sussex scientist calls promotion of preventative practice when pets are flea free ‘profiteering’Vets need to stop “profiteering” by […]
- Water firm river pollution fines must be spent on rivers, MPs to sayby Sandra Laville on January 28, 2025 at 9:53 am
Lib Dem Tim Farron seeks law to protect fund as Treasury tries to take control of £11mFines from water companies that pollute rivers must be ringfenced by law […]