WASHINGTON, D.C. – The realities of Climate Change are facing the planet, and the effects are expected to be felt here in Hawaii like they will be around the globe.

On Capitol Hill, U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono recently warned lawmakers that climate change is already having a significant impact on Hawaii and she said that without coordinated government action it will greatly harm the state’s well-being in the future.

The remarks were made during a hearing held by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. At the hearing, which was entitled “Climate Change: It’s Happening Now,” climate scientists and other experts testified on how climate change is already having an effect on U.S. weather patterns which in turn is leading to more frequent extreme weather and is negatively impacting communities and industries.

This was Hirono’s first hearing as a member of the committee since being tapped temporarily to fill the vacancy left after New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg’s death.