Rio Conventions Pavilion TV, CBD COP11 (18/10/2012) – Jacqueline Kozak of the Hawaii Invasive Species Council explains ongoing work to make Hawaii more sustainable.

Kozak explains that Hawaii was invited to participate in the ‘Island Summit’ taking place alongside COP11 by the Global Island Partnership, an honour for Hawaii as it does not usually have the opportunity to engage independently at an international level.

Kozak asserts that Hawaii is a model for sustainable development, describing Hawaii as working towards a ‘Green Blue’ economy, which is a reference to the importance of the ocean in their economy.

Kozak describes islands as a microcosm of the planet, facing the same food and energy security challenges but on a smaller scale. She says that this has caused them to confront these issues more quickly than other states, making strong commitments to green growth. She references Hawaii’s sustainability targets, including its ‘2050 Plan’.

Kozak also stresses the importance of indigenous knowledge in Hawaii’s sustainable development. Kozak explains that when Cook first arrived on the islands they contained up to one million inhabitants living completely self-sufficiently – a complete contrast to Hawaii today which imports most of its goods.