On this week’s episode of Lever Time, Lever news editor Lucy Dean Stockton speaks with Kaniela Ing, former Hawaii state representative and national director of the Green New Deal Network, about the recent wildfires in Maui.
A transcript of this episode is available here.
On August 8th, a wildfire swept through the historic city of Lahaina, reducing almost every building to ash and killing more than 100 people. Scores of Lahaina residents have lost their homes, and more than 800 people are still missing as emergency responders address the crisis. As the community reels from the tragedy, people are examining the complicated roles that colonialism, climate change, and private equity played in the disaster.
In today’s interview, Lucy speaks with Kaniela, a seventh-generation indigenous Hawaiian, about current conditions in Maui, how the island’s underserviced electrical infrastructure contributed to the disaster, and how the Lahaina community is looking to rebuild.
They also discuss Maui County’s landmark climate lawsuit against Big Oil, which alleges that oil companies knowingly made the climate crisis worse by selling and burning fossil fuels.
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