Hawaii study offers design changes to fight climate change April 5, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail HONOLULU (AP) — A new study from the University of Hawaii's School of Architecture has offered detailed short- and long-term design alterations that could help the state combat the effects of climate change. Scientists have warned that Hawaii could face a rise of up to 3 feet (0.91 meters) in sea level over the next few decades, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday. The effects of climate change in Honolulu in particular could force as many as 13,300 people from their homes and cause an estimated $13 billion in economic losses, the outlet reported. “When you read sea-level rise reports, it’s scary,” said Judith Stilgenbauer, the principal investigator of the project and professor of landscape architecture at the university's School of Architecture. “But there’s a real opportunity here to get an early start on planning for the inevitable.”