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.
- Opinion: The use of sulfur in organic farming may be “natural,” but it’s not harmlessby Ronald Lane on April 22, 2025 at 11:28 am
In California’s agricultural heartland, where fields of grapes and strawberries stretch for miles, a sharp, acrid smell often lingers in the air. That smell […]
- Banned DDT discovered in Canadian trout decades after use, research findsby Sinéad Campbell on April 21, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Potential danger to humans and wildlife from harmful pesticide discovered in fish at 10 times safety limitResidues of the insecticide DDT have been found to […]
- New research finds alarming levels of toxic chemicals in children’s mattressesby Tom Perkins on April 21, 2025 at 2:00 pm
A study shows that toxic flame retardants used in mattresses can seep into air and be absorbed by childrenAlarming levels of highly toxic phthalates, flame […]
- Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Studyby Cami Ferrell on April 21, 2025 at 12:34 pm
Health impacts are likely being underestimated by traditional risk models used by regulators, according to a new study that has found a different way to […]
- Grassroots activists who took on corruption and corporate power share 2025 Goldman prizeby Nina Lakhani Climate justice reporter on April 21, 2025 at 7:30 am
Seven winners of environmental prize include Amazonian river campaigner and Tunisian who fought against organised waste traffickingIndigenous river campaigner […]
- Fears that UK military bases may be leaking toxic ‘forever chemicals’ into drinking waterby Rachel Salvidge on April 19, 2025 at 1:16 pm
Bases in Norfolk, Devon and Hampshire face MoD investigation over possible leaching of dangerous PFAS into environmentThree UK military bases have been marked […]
- Microplastics found in human ovary follicular fluid for the first timeby Tom Perkins on April 19, 2025 at 10:00 am
Peer-reviewed study’s findings raises fresh question on the toxic substances’ impact on fertilityMicroplastics have been found for the first time in human […]
- About 15% of world’s cropland polluted with toxic metals, say researchersby Sinéad Campbell on April 17, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Scientists sound the alarm over substances such as arsenic and lead contaminating soils and entering food systemsAbout one sixth of global cropland is […]
- Kicking up a stink: row over sewage pollution blighting Cape Town’s beachesby Rachel Savage in Cape Town on April 17, 2025 at 3:50 pm
Campaigners say authorities should be doing more to clean up waters around city of nearly 5 million people On a clear summer’s day in Cape Town, the […]
- Conservationists sue Trump administration over rollback of green policiesby Dharna Noor on April 17, 2025 at 11:30 am
Lawsuit focuses on day-one executive order claiming to ‘unleash American energy’ by boosting oil industryConservationists on Wednesday sued the Trump […]
- ‘No fish, no money, no food’: Colombia’s stilt people fight to save their wetlandsby Words and photographs by Euan Wallace in Nueva Venecia, Colombia on April 17, 2025 at 11:00 am
Illegally diverted rivers, seawater and poorly managed building projects have polluted the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta. But the Unesco site has a vital role […]
- Plastics may disrupt the body’s clock, raise risk of chronic disease, study findsby Pamela Ferdinand on April 16, 2025 at 11:49 am
This article was originally published by U.S. Right To Know and is republished here with permission under a Creative Commons license.Chemicals found in common […]
- The great Mississippi tops list of most endangered rivers amid fears over Trump rollbacksby Nina Lakhani in New York on April 16, 2025 at 10:00 am
Cuts to disaster agency and deregulation of fossil fuels, plus rise of water-guzzling datacentres, highlighted in new reportThe Trump administration’s […]
- Underwater Argonauts! The deep-sea scientists logging Med pollution – in picturesby Guardian Staff on April 16, 2025 at 6:01 am
Juliette Pavy’s photographs of eco expeditions bring an element of lyrical storytelling to the global impact of invisible pollutants, from the Mediterranean […]
- Wildflowers could be absorbing toxic metals that pass on to bees, study findsby Helena Horton Environment reporter on April 16, 2025 at 5:00 am
Scientists call for urban areas to be tested for contaminants and potentially cleaned before wildflowers are plantedWildflowers could be absorbing toxic metals […]
- Water companies’ pollution incidents in England increased by 30% in 2024by Helena Horton Environment reporter on April 16, 2025 at 4:00 am
The sector, which had been set a target to reduce spillages by 40%, needs ‘radical reform’, campaigners sayWater companies have missed their targets to […]
- Green groups sue Trump administration over climate webpage removalsby Dharna Noor on April 15, 2025 at 2:58 pm
The White House has pulled federal webpages tracking climate and environmental justice dataGreen groups have sued the Trump administration over the removal of […]
- ‘It looks like I’ve gone 10 rounds with a boxer’: when hay fever becomes debilitating – and potentially deadlyby Elle Hunt on April 14, 2025 at 7:00 am
Often dismissed as summertime sniffles, the condition that affects a quarter of UK adults can lead to serious and life-limiting health problemsRead more: […]
- Garbage bag giant fined $8.25m for falsely claiming products were recycled sea plasticby Australian Associated Press on April 14, 2025 at 4:13 am
Clorox, the company behind GLAD garbage bags, advertised them as made from 50% recycled plastic from the ocean Election 2025 live updates: Australia federal […]
- It’s time to consign these giant SUVs to the rubbish heap of historyby Letters on April 13, 2025 at 5:00 am
The vehicles are not only too big and dangerous, they create a disproportionate amount of pollution that ends up in the oceanThe problem with SUVs (and EVs, […]
- Will global climate action be a casualty of Trump’s tariffs?by Jillian Ambrose on April 11, 2025 at 6:00 am
Clean energy investors likely to pull back from US, but other countries may seize opportunity to speed transitionDonald Trump’s upending of the global […]
- ‘Yoda’ for scientists: the outsider ecologist whose ideas from the 80s just might fix our futureby Steve Rose in Cape Cod, Massachusetts on April 10, 2025 at 11:00 am
John Todd’s eco-machine stunned experts by using natural organisms to remove toxic waste from a Cape Cod lagoon. Forty years on, he wants to build a fleet of […]
- A controversial facility that would process plastic waste to be burned in steel mills has been cancelledby Kristina Marusic on April 10, 2025 at 10:52 am
PITTSBURGH — International Recycling Group (IRG) has announced that they will cancel a planned plastic waste processing facility in Erie, Pennsylvania, due […]
- Opinion: The PFAS Alternatives Act is a path toward safer firefightingby Jonathan Sharp on April 10, 2025 at 10:51 am
Firefighters stand on the front lines of disaster, battling wildfires that may consume thousands of acres, responding to emergencies in rural communities, and […]
- How heat, thunder, smog and new species are making hay fever worseby Patrick Greenfield on April 10, 2025 at 6:00 am
Scientists say a complex mix of factors are making seasonal allergies more extreme for longer in many parts of the world – but why is it happening and is it […]
- POSTPONED: North Carolina EDC working group 5th annual meetingby Sarah Howard on April 4, 2025 at 11:46 am
Previously scheduled for April 25, 2025, Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS) has postponed its 5th Annual Meeting of EDC-NC, its […]
- Rural families use innovative DNA tool to track pig farm pollutionby EHN Curators on April 4, 2025 at 10:25 am
Communities living near factory farms are using a new scientific tool to track pig feces in their homes — and fight back.Hana Mensendiek reports for U.S. […]
- Analysis raises concerns about potential misuse of atrazine weedkiller in US Midwestby Douglas Main on April 4, 2025 at 10:10 am
Editor's note: This story was originally published by The New Lede and is republished here with permission.Corn growers across Midwestern states appear to be […]
- Webinar: Changes at NIH: What do they mean for environmental health?by Sarah Howard on April 3, 2025 at 3:34 pm
This May 8 webinar features Dr. Linda Birnbaum, who will discuss the implications of the Trump administration's changes for environmental health, and Dr. Scott […]
- Opinion: I live in Flint, Michigan. Shuttering environmental justice at EPA hurts communities like mine.by Benjamin Pauli on April 3, 2025 at 10:00 am
Eleven years ago Flint, Michigan, fatefully switched its drinking water supply to the Flint River. The consequences are well-documented: significant damage to […]
- Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?by Kristina Marusic on April 2, 2025 at 6:58 pm
PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro ran on a promise to regulate Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry more stringently. Two years into his term, […]
- Los defensores ambientales están pasando por un mal momento, pero su situación no es exclusiva de la administración de Trumpby Cami Ferrell on April 1, 2025 at 7:40 pm
Es un momento difícil para ser activista ambiental. En su primer día como presidente, Trump revirtió casi todo las políticas climáticas de la […]
- California lanza un sistema estatal que avisa con anticipación la aplicación de pesticidasby María Paula Rubiano on April 1, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Haz clic aquí para leer este reportaje en inglés. To read a version of this story in English click here.A Byanka Santoyo se le quiebra la voz mientras […]
- El ciclo del agua está cambiando hacia un nuevo estadoby EHN Curators on April 1, 2025 at 5:40 pm
Los ríos, lagos, acuíferos, suelos, plantas y hasta el aire están perdiendo agua en favor de los océanos.
- Environmentalists are struggling, but their struggle isn’t unique to the Trump administrationby Cami Ferrell on March 31, 2025 at 11:43 am
It’s a difficult time to be an environmental advocate. On his first day as president, Trump reversed most of the Biden administration’s climate policies […]
- California launches statewide pesticide notification systemby María Paula Rubiano on March 27, 2025 at 10:29 am
Byanka Santoyo’s voice breaks while she explains what SprayDays, California’s statewide pesticide notification system, launched on Monday, means to her. […]
- Congress eyes oil and gas tax perks as it hunts for budget cutsby EHN Curators on March 26, 2025 at 10:46 am
As Republicans push for trillions in tax cuts, oil and gas companies are lobbying to protect long-standing tax breaks and add new ones that could shield them […]
- Pilot study finds fiber helps reduce PFAS levels in the bodyby Sarah Howard on March 21, 2025 at 3:13 pm
A Canadian clinical trial published in the journal Environmental Health, found some reductions of PFAS concentrations in people taking dietary fiber […]
- Prenatal pesticide exposure linked to heavy menstrual bleeding in California teensby Sarah Howard on March 21, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology is the first to investigate prenatal exposure to pesticides and menstrual health during […]
- An open letter from EPA staff to the American publicby EHN Editors on March 20, 2025 at 11:26 am
Editor’s note: This op-ed was written by a group of current and former employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who have asked to remain […]
- UN climate summit organizers consider hiring PR firm tied to past Amazon lobbyingby EHN Curators on March 20, 2025 at 10:50 am
Edelman, the world’s largest public relations agency, is in talks to support the upcoming UN climate summit in Brazil despite its previous work with a trade […]
- Community activists plead to be heard through “closed doors” outside nation’s top energy conferenceby Cami Ferrell on March 17, 2025 at 11:11 am
HOUSTON — Climate activists expressed concern that discussions behind closed doors at the nation’s largest energy conference, CERAWeek by S&P Global, […]
- Peregrine falcon populations are mysteriously declining worldwideby EHN Curators on March 17, 2025 at 10:05 am
Once driven to the brink by DDT, peregrine falcons are disappearing again across multiple continents, with scientists pointing to avian flu as a possible cause […]
- What’s happening to EPA-funded community projects under Trump?by Kristina Marusic on March 14, 2025 at 12:17 pm
PITTSBURGH — The Biden administration pledged more than $53 million to community groups across the country for air monitoring projects in 2022, many of which […]
- Virginia court delays state’s return to carbon market as Youngkin fights rulingby EHN Curators on March 14, 2025 at 10:40 am
A Virginia judge has paused the state’s court-ordered return to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) while Gov. Glenn Youngkin appeals the decision, […]
- Food Packaging Forum updates database on migrating food contact materialsby Sarah Howard on March 13, 2025 at 12:05 pm
The Food Packaging Forum updates their Database on Migrating and Extractable Food Contact Chemicals (FCCmigex), identifying 1,060 new chemicals present in or […]
- Cargo ship captain arrested after North Sea collision raises environmental concernsby EHN Curators on March 13, 2025 at 11:49 am
Authorities arrested the captain of the cargo ship Solong after a fatal North Sea collision led to a jet fuel spill, raising alarms about marine […]
- Webinar: Children's health and the exposomeby Sarah Howard on March 12, 2025 at 7:02 pm
This April 15 webinar, Children's Health: Assessing impacts of the exposome, features Dr. Rémy Slama of the EU's ATHLETE research project. Dr. Slama will […]
- US states push to ban food dyes amid distrust of FDAby EHN Curators on March 12, 2025 at 11:19 am
States across the U.S., driven by public health concerns, are rushing to ban synthetic food dyes linked to health risks, citing both a lack of federal action […]
- Trump ordena despidos masivos en la agencia que avisa de la llegada de huracanesby EHN Curators on March 11, 2025 at 5:17 pm
Tras echar a 1.300 empleados de la NOAA, ahora ordena el recorte de otros 1.000 puestos, incluyendo el Servicio Nacional de Meteorología.