Kiaʻi Report

Local experts raised concerns that even minor deviations from SpaceX’s “nominal” trajectory could cause debris fields to drift into the protected waters of Papahānaumokuākea.

The FAA’s “Finding of No Significant Impact” or FONSI ignored the area’s cultural significance and failed to consult with Hawaiian residents or agencies such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), which co-manages the marine sanctuary.

In April 2023, SpaceX’s experimental launch license included a plan for Starship to crash into the Pacific Ocean just 62 miles north of Kauai. The EA claimed that fewer than one marine mammal would be harmed during the explosion, despite the spacecraft’s 100-metric-ton mass.

These crash landing sites are also in the direct path of humpback whale migration, potentially endangering their migratory patterns and jeopardizing their fragile populations.

The monument is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, home to over 7,000 species, many of which are endangered. The contamination of these waters from SpaceX’s operations further threatens the delicate biodiversity of this pristine marine environment.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site that is considered sacred to Native Hawaiians. Despite its cultural and ecological significance, no cultural consultation has been conducted for permission to land or conduct operations near this sacred site.

SpaceX Wants to Increase Launches at Boca Chica Without a Full Environmental Review On April 20, 2023, SpaceX's Starship—the largest and most powerful rocket ever built—exploded just four minutes after liftoff from its Boca Chica

The environmental risks of SpaceX’s operations extend far beyond Boca Chica. The FAA has also permitted SpaceX to blow up Starship in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. Dangerously close to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

www.counterpunch.org/2024/12/12/s...

An excellent read

It is a movement that calls for collective responsibility, reminding us that the health of the land and the dignity of labor are inseparable. Only through such a profound transformation can we create a future where both the earth and its people can thrive.

Collective efforts to demand justice—whether in the form of fair wages, environmental protections, or decolonized policies—are a step toward an economy that respects and sustains life rather than depleting it.

Collective efforts to demand justice—whether in the form of fair wages, environmental protections, or decolonized policies—are a step toward an economy that respects and sustains life rather than depleting it.

This alternative is not utopian but is grounded in models that have existed for millennia, practiced by communities who thrived without sacrificing the earth or exploiting their neighbors.

By decolonizing our economies and adopting Indigenous, place-based values, we can envision systems that support both human and ecological well-being.

while (2) using and managing resources with minimal waste or pollution, and (3) redistributing resources regularly to achieve equity and prioritize network relationships.

Three crucial features of this ancestral circular economy are (1) achieving optimal productivity using regenerative practices to yield enough to provide for the socioeconomic needs of the entire population,

Within a Hawaiian ancestral economy, circularity was inherent as such that nearly every resource held a purpose and role within a broader system that recognized kinship between people and nature.

“It is difficult to envision a circular economy that can be environmentally sustainable without also achieving social reforms of the current oligopolistic market systems because these very systems inhibit our communities’ ability to act as agents of environmental change.”

Because no matter the economic system chosen, social justice is an integral part of broader political frameworks of sustainable development.

Indigenous frameworks of economic development challenge dominant narratives of the capitalist-driven economy by emphasizing interconnected communities and environmental kinship.

The rise of labor disputes, and widespread public support, in Hawaiʻi signifies a broader call to take active steps toward alternative economic systems and embrace Indigenous values of stewardship, aiming to build regional economies that prioritize community and environmental health.

Labor, indigenous communities, & environmental advocates champion dignified livelihoods & responsible land stewardship, insisting on self-governance & democratic rights that support families and protect natural resources for future generations.

The recent success of these workers is a clear signal that the corporate dominated system of capitalism is not invincible.

This wave of labor action is no coincidence; it's a part of a long history of collective response to a profit-driven system that prioritizes financial gain over people. The hotel industry, a longstanding pillar of Hawaiʻi’s economy, exemplifies this tension as workers take on big corporations

Recent worker actions in Hawaiʻi, demonstrate how unions are pushing back against an exploitative status quo facing all industries. From nurses to hotel workers, labor unions are organizing for fair wages and reasonable workloads, resisting employer demands.

Island nations such as Hawai, Puerto Rico and Guam, with their rich histories, unique ecosystems, and self-sustaining cultural practices, were transformed into tools for profit by colonial powers that saw their beauty, resources, and people as wealth building assets..

The pursuit of place-based solutions to global economies also requires a holistic understanding of the intertwined roles of occupation and economic manipulation

At the heart of this shift is the invaluable knowledge of Indigenous peoples, whose values and practices have safeguarded ecosystems and supported human well-being for millennia.

As ecological collapse accelerates, these movements must unify to dismantle the systems that allow capitalism to devastate resources & people alike. This transformation calls for decolonized, place-based, & community-centered economic systems that prioritize equity, sustainability, & interdependence

Decolonization Series: Hawaiʻi Labor Disputes, Alternative Economies and the Path to Ecological Wellbeing — Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi by Lauren Ballesteros-Watanabe, Chapter Organizer | Reading Time: 8 minutes The entanglement of colonialism and capitalism with American industries operating globally has drastically shaped our en...

The labor movement, Indigenous communities, and environmental justice advocates have long been on the front lines of resisting corporate greed. These movements empower everyday people to raise their voices in workplaces, governments, and communities.

sierraclubhawaii.org/blog/decolon...

If you or your #ohana have kids in #Hawaii public schools & any of your close relatives voted for #Trump, please show them this.👇🏼