APEC Protests in Honolulu

SUBHEAD: Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Meetings & Protests start Monday, October 17th.  

By Henry Curtis on 16 October 2011 for Disappeared News - (http://www.disappearednews.com/2011/10/apec-hawaii-2011-meetings-protests.html)


Image above: East West Center at University of Hawaii's Manoa campus in Honolulu- the location of APEC functions. From (http://www.prweb.com/releases/East-West_Center/Asia_Pacific_region/prweb2873394.htm).
 

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Asia Development Bank (ADB) will hold conferences at the East West Center at the University of Hawaii, Manoa this fall.

The East West Center will host the APEC Climate Symposium (October 17-20, 2011) and the ADB Conference (December 14-15, 2011)
 

Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz will deliver the opening speech at the APEC Climate Symposium.

Peaceful protesters will gather from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, October 17, 2011 in front of the John F. Kennedy Theatre across the campus road from the East West Center. The organizers have discussed their plans with both UH and the police, and have received assurances that the protest can occur at that site.
 

The protests are being organized by the Hawai`i Independence Action Alliance (HIAA) which supports globalizing human rights rather than globalizing the power of corporations. They believe that the emphasis must be on the right of communities to determine their own future.

“We believe in a globalized consciousness, respect, and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. These rights have been well developed in the United Nations expressions in two international covenants, the first on Civil & Political Rights, and the second on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We support, in addition, the rights of Indigenous Peoples as expressed by the United Nations General Assembly and the International Labor Organization. The principles expressed in these documents are global in nature, yet must be respected and enforced at the local level. It is in actions at the local level that government’s true commitment is seen.”

HIAA asserts that independent communities must be able to promote their own values: fair trade not free trade, respect for the environment, local food production, and the right to have non-genetically modified foods. Global policies should not impeded local wellness. Cultural and and spiritual values and beliefs must be respected.

“We support the community’s desire to seek compatibility between globalization and localization, as it is important to include all concerned voices in any process of decision-making regarding impact on community resources.”

During the November APEC meetings there will be three rings of security, the outer two controlled by the Honolulu Police Department and the inner one controlled by the Secret Service. The Police have been meeting with opposition organizers to finds ways that the two groups can work together. Both support the Aloha spirit. To date, there have been no meetings between opposition organizers and the secret service. The State Department is screening all people who have applied for a press pass, including myself.

The ADB Conference (December 14-15, 2011) will focus on Key topics are: growth, environment, inequality/poverty, urbanization, the role of government in urbanization including financing for infrastructure, pollution, congestion, slums, employment, housing and land market issues.

Among those attending the APEC Climate Symposium will be University of Hawai`i professors Bin Wang and Thomas Giambelluca.
 

Dr. Bin Wang is Chair of the Department of Meteorology, International Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. He has a B.S. in Physical Oceanography and an M.S. in Meteorology from Universities in China and a Ph.D. in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics from Florida State University.

Dr. Thomas Giambelluca is an Associate Professor in Geography. He served as an Expert Reviewer for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment
 Report: Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.
 

Dr. Thomas Giambelluca gave a Climate Overview on Rainfall and Drought at the 2009 Kauai Community College symposium on "Global Climate Impacts on Kauai" sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation and the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program and Kauai Community College.

Island Breath: Dr. Giambelluca demonstrated that most rain arriving on Kauai is created by moisture carried by the Trade Winds as the air rises on the mountain sides within a strata below a phenomena called the Trade Wind Inversion (TWI), and above a strata with high relative humidity called the Lifting Condensation Level (LCL). ... Dr. Giambelluca indicated that the macro changes in global climate will raise the temperature of the Pacific Ocean in the area of Hawaii, but that temperatures over land will rise faster than over the ocean, thus reducing relative humidity over the island of Kauai and raising the elevation of the LCL. If conditions exist for a persistent low TWI and a high LCL, then Kauai will get less regular rain.

Kahea: Dr. Giambelluca spoke at a 2011 University of Hawai`i roundtable on current trends affecting fresh water in Hawai‘i and practical approaches to adapt to a changing climate. The roundtable was sponsored by the Kamakaküokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law, and the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program’s Center for Island Climate Adaptation and Policy. Dr. Thomas Giambelluca: “Looking at daytime temperatures, in all seasons and annual we see downward trends. So in other words, the data say it’s cooling during the day. But it’s warming at night, at a rate that’s about twice as fast as the daytime cooling. My guess is that the warming is just part of what’s happening here in Hawaii as a result of global warming.”

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