HB 1455 Summary

• Appropriates $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2025-2026 and $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2026-2027 to the University of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) to establish and operate a Center for Climate Resilient Development.

• Center will serve as a community-focused resource providing guidance on climate hazards, assessing risk and vulnerabilities to climate hazards across the state by district (moku), and making recommendations for capital improvement and resilience-building projects.

• Combines adaptation strategies for climate change with actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with emphasis on social equity across urban infrastructure, energy, industry, land, ocean, and ecosystem sectors.

• Leverages existing modeling expertise at SOEST that has been working on sea level rise, hurricane storm surge, heat projections, and wildfire modeling that support state real estate disclosures and county shoreline ordinances.

• Takes effect July 1, 2025.