Obama Warns Against Global Warming’s Impact on Pacific Atoll

President Barack Obama plunked down on a speck of coral reef in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on Thursday and gazed out at the turquoise waters of the marine monument he's widened to become the largest in the world. Hundreds of rare birds fluttered in the skies halfway between Asia and North America as the president paid an unusual visit to Midway Atoll, one of the most remote areas of the ocean.

Obama creates world’s largest protected marine area off Hawaii

President Barack Obama will expand the country's largest contiguous fully protected conservation area to create the world's largest marine protected area in Hawaii, covering 582,578 square miles of land and sea, the White House said. The designation Friday will more than quadruple Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument to protect coral reefs, deep sea marine habitats and ecological resources in the waters off the northwest Hawaiian Islands.

Rules on GMO crops in Hawaii heads to US appeals court

The fight over regulating genetically engineered crops in three Hawaii counties was back in a federal courtroom as some agricultural giants look to protect their farms from bans against modified food. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in Honolulu Wednesday on ordinances that seek to regulate or outlaw genetically engineered crops in Hawaii, Kauai and Maui counties.

Land Board to consider closing Ala Wai Canal during conservation summit

The state land board will decide next week whether to close the temporarily the Ala Wai Canal from the Ala Moana Boulevard Bridge to the Kalakaua Avenue Bridge for security reasons during the IUCN World Conservation Congress in September. About 10,000 dignitaries and government officials are expected to attend the event, which will be held from Sept.