The News Not Noise Letter: News That Doesn’t Suck
Hawaii’s teenagers are suing to defend their climate. Plus: Get ready for a Saturday night meteor show, and a medical marvel restores vision using eye drops.
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Today we lead with the wildfires in Maui that raced across parts of the island early Tuesday and are still not entirely contained. The flames, which have been described as “explosive,” decimated Lahaina which is the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, an economic engine for the island, and popular tourist destination. The Maui wildfires are already the 7th deadliest in US history. At least 55 people have been declared dead and that number is likely to jump as officials search the area. Maui’s police chief, John Pelletier, said, “Lahaina Town is hallowed, sacred ground right now because our iwi are in that ground….We will get them out as fast as we can.” Iwi is an Hawaiian word for bones, or remains. Complicating recovery efforts: radio, broadcast, cell service, and power are down across Maui. A White House official tells NNN that FEMA is on the ground, and its administrator is there helping coordinate efforts. So far they’ve set up a distribution center to give out 5 days of supplies for 5,000 people in the affected area. President Biden has spoken twice with Hawaii’s governor and White House aides are in ongoing contact with Hawaii authorities. 15,000 people have left the island.
Like many, I’ve spent time in Hawaii. There’s a magic in the air there; a sense of community and respect for the land that I’ve rarely encountered anywhere else. To the people of Hawaii: you have generously shared your land with tourists, allowing us to experience the peace and tranquility you generate. For that, Mahalo. It is our time to give back to you.
Hawaii’s Governor Josh Green has asked those interested to make donations to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund. Also, The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is matching donations up to $1 million to support local Maui organizations’ relief efforts. For anyone who is in a position to provide support on the ground, Maui County details the items they need here.
Here’s some news that doesn’t suck:
Hawaiian Teens for Climate Justice: This story is especially timely. Over a dozen Hawaiian teens filed suit against the state, accusing the Hawaii Department of Transportation of denying them the right to a “life sustaining environment.” They allege that the state’s DOT has approved transportation projects that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. In doing this, they say, the state DOT is violating their constitutional rights by failing to “protect public trust resources and the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the transportation sector.” They are demanding that the DOT “decarbonize Hawaiʻi’s economy and achieve a zero emissions economy by 2045,” a goal previously established by the state legislature. The lawsuit was filed last year. Now, a Circuit Court judge affirmed that the teens have standing to sue because the state constitution guarantees them the right to “a life-sustaining environment.” This is especially relevant given the nexus between climate change and wildfires. Wildfires are becoming more common in Hawaii as temperatures increase, rainfall decreases, strong winds from intensifying storms spread flames, and (highly flammable) invasive plant species spread through abandoned farmland. This is only the second youth-led climate case in US court history. We’re inspired by the young people coming together to advocate for their right to a livable environment.
All Planes On Deck for Maui Evacuations: We all love to complain about the airlines. But here’s a case of the airlines doing the right thing. As the ongoing wildfires in Maui have devastated the island, evacuations are urgent and essential. Southwest Airlines has slashed airfares, offering $19 flights out of Maui for humans and $1 for pets. Hawaiian matched those prices and has been running extra flights until 2am. United and Alaska sent empty planes to the island to ferry people out. Delta, American, Southwest, United, and Hawaiian Airlines have all waived fees associated with cancellations and rebookings to expedite evacuations. Hawaii officials are asking anyone planning a trip to Maui in the near future to reschedule.
Pregnancy Made Possible: Last week we shared a news story about a baby born to a mother with a uterine transplant. When I posted on this, the response was overwhelming. You are so interested in this! So we are sharing more. The first successful childbirth after a uterine transplant occurred in 2014 in Sweden at the University of Gothenburg, and since then similar trials have taken place around the world. Uterine transplants can be risky and expensive, and the best practices are still being developed. Donors can be live (as in the Swedish case) or deceased (as was the case for Mallory, the US mother we reported on last week). The procedure is temporary, unlike most other organ transplants; to prevent the need for mothers to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives, surgeons eventually remove the transplanted uterus. The first uterine transplant in the US failed in 2016 due to a dangerous yeast infection in the donor that was allegedly not reported to the surgeons before transplantation. There are currently uterine transplant programs running at the University of Alabama, Birmingham; Baylor University; Penn University; Johns Hopkins University; Cleveland Clinic; and more locations across the nation.
Eye Drops for Vision: Antonio, a 14-year-old boy with a rare genetic disorder, has regained the ability to see thanks to new gene therapy eye drops. Antonio was born with a condition called dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa which causes severe blistering and scarring on the skin and eyes. For years, the scarring on his corneas was so severe that he was legally blind. Surgeries to remove his scar tissue only helped temporarily. Antonio’s condition is caused by a gene defect, and his body lacks a certain collagen protein that binds cells together. His doctor suggested a new experimental treatment called Vyjuvek, which uses a deactivated virus to deliver a healthy copy of that collagen gene into his cells. His cells essentially “learn” how to make the necessary collagen from the new, healthy genes from the eye drops. Antonio began using the eye drops once a month after a round of scar-removal surgery, and the treatment has been extraordinarily effective in preventing scar tissue regrowth. His right eye was treated first and is now registering at a near-perfect 20/25, while his left eye, which initially had much heavier scarring, is nearly at 20/50 and showing consistent improvement each month. Antonio’s doctor, director of the Corneal Innovation Lab at the University of Miami Health System’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, believes that this same novel gene therapy method could be used to effectively treat other genetic eye conditions by targeting different genes.
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