WAILUKU, HI — Stantec, a global engineering, architecture, and consulting firm, has been selected by the County of Maui, Hawaii, to support the development and implementation of a whole-systems approach for its climate change, resilience, and sustainability program. The integrated approach, designed to build a resilient island community in the face of challenge and change, will be led by The Office of Climate Change, Resilience, and Sustainability (CCRS) within the Office of the Mayor.

Island communities are increasingly vulnerable to more frequent and intense climate change impacts, such as wildfires, coral bleaching, drought, flooding, extreme weather events, sea level rise, and changes in species distribution, disease, and disease patterns. The Hawaiian community is closely connected to the environment and its resources, and these climate stressors are threatening economic opportunity, cultural integrity, and human wellbeing on the Islands, as well as water, food, and energy supplies.

Stantec will work closely with CCRS to identify scalable solutions and tools to support a sustainable and resilient future for the County of Maui. The project, informed by public participation, will consider the complex linkages among Maui’s ecological, social, and economic systems. Stantec’s work will focus on three key components:

• Heat Map: Using socio-economic information in concert with current climate data and projections to identify vulnerable populations as a result of shifting climate and inform equitable solutions to address unique heat and fire risks.
• Resilient Housing: Developing a Resilient Maui Housing Guide in partnership with local officials, designers, builders, and community-focused nonprofits. The plan will incorporate multi-hazard designs as well as lines of new construction and retrofits with consideration of affordability.
• Planning for Renewables: Using an equity centered approach to assess Maui County’s current energy system and planning for a sustainable and resilient energy future. It is critical that Maui County continue to pursue renewable energy investments and sustainability goals to meet its future energy needs.

“Our communities are becoming more susceptible to frequent and powerful climate change impacts,” said Nancy Convard, Stantec’s Environmental Services Lead and Project Manager. “These impacts are threatening our way of life on the Islands, and it’s imperative we develop a comprehensive, adaptive, and dynamic approach to meet Maui’s needs today and for generations to come. We look forward to getting underway.”

The project is expected to be complete at the end of 2022.