Giving Compass' Take: 

• Zócalo Public Square discusses how Hawaii's local communities could be a great laboratory to experiment with climate change solutions that could impact the whole world.

• From flood prevention measures to carbon elimination, there are many efforts already in motion across Hawaii's islands. What can other states learn from the innovations pushed by local leaders?

• Here's more about the urgency to take action on climate change now.

Travel-brochure images of Hawaii conjure a pollution-free paradise, far removed from dying forests, rising seas, and other ecological mayhems. But it’s more realistic to view the island state as a bellwether of severe climate change that’s already upon us — with much more, and much worse, likely to come.

A panel of experts gathered at Artistry Honolulu to take their best shot at the urgent question “What Can Hawaii Teach the World About Climate Change?” The Zócalo/Daniel K. Inouye Institute “Pau Hana” event brought together Chip Fletcher, a University of Hawaii at Mānoa geologist; Robert Lempert, a RAND Corporation scientist and contributor to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and Joshua Stanbro, chief resilience officer for the City and County of Honolulu.

Despite the recent torrent of grim United Nations reports, and terrifying TV footage of Florida beach homes being blown to smithereens, the evening’s tone was relatively upbeat. While nationalistic leaders bellow about withdrawing from international climate accords, states like Hawaii and California are aggressively pursuing their own environmental paths, and the panelists suggested that significant work is being done at the state and local level to keep Earth from turning into a giant Sahara.

Read the full article about Hawaii leading the global fight against climate change by Reed Johnson at Zócalo Public Square.