Fellows mentioned in this story: Kāwika Riley

From Honolulu Star-Advertiser:

Gov. Josh Green created a tough assignment in May for the retired leader of a Hawai‘i real estate investment firm to assemble a team that can recommend policies to minimize climate-related natural disaster impacts in the state.

Now, this six-person volunteer group with expertise in areas that include climate change, environmental law and insurance faces a tough phase of work: coming up with initial results.

Green’s Climate Advisory Team, led by retired Alexander & Baldwin Inc. CEO Chris Benjamin, is about to move from information gathering to crafting solutions that initially will focus on a package of draft bills for the governor to submit for consideration in the upcoming legislative session that begins in January.

Benjamin said Tuesday during a Honolulu Star-­Advertiser editorial board meeting that such legislation is intended to be part of a foundation for longer-term progress in the team’s mission, which might take years to produce.

“We want to make progress next year, but we also have to recognize that this problem won’t be solved overnight,” he said.

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