Mayor Victorino to speak at Climate Mayor’s Leadership Forum

Mayor Michael Victorino will speak at the Climate Mayors Leadership Forum on Thursday, June 2, in the late afternoon. He will present Maui County's case study about the costly impacts of climate change, including drought, wildfire, floods and sea level rise. He will also explain why, in March 2020, the county sued eight major fossil fuel corporations for climate change damage.

"It's an honor to be invited to speak alongside mayors of major cities like New Orleans, Austin and Augusta," said Mayor Victorino. "I will emphasize that island communities feel the impacts of climate change first which is why Maui County and Honolulu, have joined a growing list of other municipalities that have filed lawsuits to hold the fossil fuel industry responsible for the enormous costs of climate change."

The lawsuit states that crucial infrastructure, roadways, parks and buildings near shorelines are endangered by sea level rise caused by climate change.It also alleges that Big Oil knew its products produced damaging greenhouse gases but hid those dangers from the public to maximize corporate profits.

"We look forward to hearing from Mayor Victorino during this important forum," said Kate Wright, Executive Director of Climate Mayors. "Every community has a unique story to tell, and it's important we hear about Maui County's experiences with climate change."

Mayors from across the nation will convene at the Climate Mayor's Leadership Forum. Founded in 2014, Climate Mayors is a nonpartisan, peer-to-peer network of more than 470 U.S. mayors in 48 states dedicated to creating real climate action at the local level. Their Leadership Forum is co-hosted by C40 Cities in partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors 90^th Annual Meeting taking place June 3-6 in Reno, Nevada.