Jeff Yin, Ph.D.: Testimony on the EPA Clean Power Plan 

Denver, Colorado, July 30, 2014, 5:55 p.m. 

I would like to thank the EPA for this opportunity to speak about the proposed Clean Power Plan. 

My name is Jeff Yin. I have a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences, and I did climate research for 12 years. Even 

though we had already learned enough to know that humans are causing climate change, I started to 

see that science alone was not enough. I began to explore what actually moves us to take real action 

against carbon pollution. So, now, I am no longer a climate scientist. Today, I am here to share why I am 

moved to support the EPA's proposed Clean Power Plan, because I can see how climate change is 

already hurting people in my native state of Hawai'i. 

I was born and raised in Honolulu, and I grew up going to the beach. I love the beauty of the colors of 

the ocean water and the relaxing sound of breaking waves, as well as the memories of fun days at the 

beach when I was a kid. There is a song, "White Sandy Beach of Hawai'i", sung by the late Bruddah Israel 

Kamakawiwo'ole, that has the power to transport me back to that beautiful, relaxing place. 

Of course, there is also a powerful, dangerous side to the ocean. When I was kid, the older, wiser folks 

would always remind us: "Never turn your back on the ocean." There could be powerful currents, and 

large, unexpected waves, that could easily sweep you away if you were not paying attention. As we shall 

see, even the land, solid as it may seem, can be worn down by the relentless power of the ocean. 

Knowing that power, my biggest fear about climate change is rising sea level. According to the 2014 

National Climate Assessment, sea level has already risen by 8 inches since 1900. But what does this 

really mean, for real people? 

First, let's take a walk down the famous Waikiki Beach. Much of Waikiki Beach is a thin strip of sand 

between the ocean on one side, and hotels on the other side. So, what happens when you raise sea 

level, even by as little as 1 foot? According to Dolan Eversole, a Hawai'i coastal hazards expert, we 

should expect that 1 foot of sea level rise will cause the shoreline to move inland by 100 feet. So, the 

ocean moves inland, the hotels can't go anywhere, and you get what you see in Waikiki now: There are 

places where there is no beach left. There is just the hotel, a cement walkway on top of the seawall that 

is protecting the hotel, and the ocean below. No white sandy beach of Hawai'i. 

According to the 2014 National Climate Assessment, the loss of Waikiki Beach could lead to an annual 

loss of $2 billion in visitor expenditures. For many of my friends, who work in the hotels, in the 

restaurants, and for the airlines in Hawai'i, this would be catastrophic. If a hotel goes out of business, 

hardworking people who I care about lose their jobs, and struggle to feed their families. 

But it's not just hotels that are threatened by sea level rise. People's homes are already being damaged 

as well. Just this past Christmas, near Sunset Beach on O'ahu's North Shore, a few days of big waves 
caused a fast-moving collapse of the shore that damaged at least 5 homes. One homeowner was forced 

to cut away rooms just to save the rest of their house. 

When people's homes are threatened by rising sea levels, what choices do you have? According to Chip 

Fletcher, a University of Hawai'i coastal geologist, you can build a seawall to buy time to save the 

houses, but that may destroy the beaches nearby. Or, you can save the beaches by not building a 

seawall, which condemns people's homes to destruction. If we do nothing to slow down climate change, 

we have to make more and more of these excruciatingly painful decisions. 

Of course, when many of these homes and hotels were built, we did not know that there would 

someday be sea level rise that would force us to make these painful choices. Likewise, when we started 

burning coal to make electricity, we did not know that it would cause sea levels to rise. But, now, we do 

know. 

That is why I am here today to support the EPA's Clean Power Plan. That is why I support strong rules to 

limit carbon emissions from power plants. And, that is why I appreciate all of the important actions that 

you are taking at the EPA to slow down the painful effects of climate change. Thank you.