Editorial: Timely climate change summit

The devastation and destruction we can do without, of course. But Hawaii’s one-two brush with hurricanes Lane and Olivia brought a wealth of weather science that was downright fascinating, thanks to the many meteorologists, professors and forecasters sharing their smarts in news reports.

There is no disputing the science — which outlines that an active hurricane season will be fueled by very warm, very humid and warm-water conditions, as is being seen this year. And while a storm’s track is steered by atmospheric environment, noted one University of Hawaii science professor, its intensity is more dependent on sea surface temperature.

So yes, it’s easy to see a strong correlation between warmer seas and more intense hurricanes. Against that backdrop, this week’s Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco brought welcome reaffirmation by business leaders, activists, governors and mayors — including Hawaii’s Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell — to work collectively on better environmental policies. Such unity of action has become crucial after the Trump administration withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, a global pact to reduce Earth-warming greenhouse emissions and stem the causes of climate change.

The science is there; now comes the tougher part: policies that move away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy, in order to improve the stewardship and health of our land and ocean.