Letter to Obama and IUCN Congress demands halt to U.S. environmental abuses
From September 1–10, 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will hold its World Conservation Congress in Honolulu. The IUCN says it is convening the gathering in Hawaiʻi because “the ecosystems that underpin our economies, well-being and survival are collapsing. Species are becoming extinct at unprecedented rates. Our climate is in crisis. And it’s all happening on our watch.”
The time for action is now. The IUCN has called for change in the wake of the 2015 Paris climate conference in which “almost 200 nations agreed on ambitious goals for sustainable development and achieving climate neutrality. These agreements represent an historic opportunity to improve the lives of billions of people around the globe and put nature at the heart of our decisions. It’s time to move these agreements into action.”
Yet, Hawaiʻi—the place hosting this historic gathering—has been repeatedly subjected to tremendous environmental damage at the hands of the United States government. That’s why a group of organizations and concerned citizens has sent an open letter to President Obama, who will be speaking at the East-West Center Wednesday, August 31 to kick off the conference, and the members of the IUCN Congress. The letter lists the most recent abuses Hawaiʻi has suffered at the hands of corporations and the government.
These abuses include:
The desecration of Mauna Kea. “The State of Hawaiʻi has supported the construction of telescope after telescope on the sacred slopes of Mauna Kea. These actions are undertaken over the objection of the first peoples of the land, Na Kanaka Maoli, and are in clear violation of our Free, Prior, and Informed Consent. Most recently the construction of the Thirty-Meter Telescope has threatened our sacred Mauna. Our kiaʻi have been dutifully protecting Mauna a Wakea for over a year as courts deliberate the legality of the construction of this $1.4 billion project.”
The Trans-Pacific Partnership. “The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement empowers corporations over nations and peoples, endangering indigenous lands in Hawaiʻi and across the globe.”
The United States Military & RIMPAC. “Live fire training on our lands, sea, and air has destroyed and poisoned hundreds of thousands of acres of Hawaiʻi’s limited lands, polluted Hawaiʻi’s formerly pristine seas, and contaminated Hawaiʻi’s winds with depleted uranium which poisons residents and visitors alike. RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, is the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise. Held biennially in Hawaiʻi, it turns the Kanaka Maoli homeland into a playground for global military powers, selling weapons of destruction and training nations in the oppression of others.”
The current U.S. Department of the Interior Rule (DOI) to create a Native Hawaiian Tribe. “In 2014 the DOI sponsored a set of hearings on the issue of federal recognition for the first peoples of Hawaiʻi. Over 95 percent of the in-person testimony at these hearings was opposed to the proposed rule, with many advocating for complete independence for Hawaiʻi. These testimonies were discounted when the DOI chose to consider anonymous and duplicate written testimony on par with in-person opposition. This practice resulted in flawed numbers which suggest that 70 percent of our people support the unethical process initiated by the DOI. Moving forward in this flawed process will circumvent critically important discussions about independence and self-determination currently taking place among Kanaka Maoli communities in Hawaiʻi and on Moku Honu.”
The Dakota Access Pipeline. “Our concern for the environment extends globally. An unprecedented unification of First Nations people has taken place in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux who are protecting their waters from the Dakota Access Pipeline. This unity echoes throughout Indian country in struggles for Sacred Oak Flats, Moahdak D’ag, and countless others. It exemplifies what First Nations people undertake to protect our environment when, more often than not, the safety of our land, water and air is threatened by local and federal authorities. We stand with our brothers and sisters who are uniting all indigenous people to protect our water and future generations against corporations and the short-sighted fixation on fossil fuels.”
The letter’s signers call on President Obama and the IUCN World Conservation Congress to take clear and immediate action to stop these abuses.
“We the undersigned firmly oppose the continued destruction of Hawaiʻi and all First Nations lands at the hands of governments, corporations and militaries which prioritize money over the health and well-being of people and the environment.”
The letter signatories include:
ʻAha Aloha ʻAina New York City
ʻAha Aloha ʻAina - Oʻahu
ʻAha Aloha ʻAina Washington DC, Jeanette Soon-Ludes, PhD,
ʻAha Aloha ʻAina San Diego, Shalee Kekawa,
Destination Restoration, Isaac Harp
Hoʻomana Pono, LLC De MONT R. D. Conner, Co-Manager & Rachel L. “Momi” Kailianu-Conner, Co-Manager
Hui Ku Like Kakou
Ka Lahui Hawaii
KAHEA - The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance, Board Member Candice Fujikane
Kai Palaoa, represented by Kealoha Pisciotta
Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, Kealoha Pisciotta, President
Na Koa Ikaika O Ka Lahui Hawaii, Mililani Trask
Kai ‘Ula Pono’i Texas HCC, Melissa Moniz, President
ʻOhana Koa Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific, Dr. Kalamaokaʻaina Niheu,
Protest Nai Aupuni Healani Sonoda-Pale,
SAFE Co-Chair Patricia A Gozemba
Christina Bacchilega
Cheryl Burghardt
Will Caron
Bianca Isaki, Ph.D., Esq.
Anne Keala Kelly - Filmmaker & Journalist
Ben Manuel
Stephanie Mushrush, MSW member of Washoe Tribe of NV and CA
Claud Sutcliffe, Ph.D.
Laurel Mei Turbin
