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James Dator, a futurist and professor at the University of Hawaii, and Peter Adler, a sociologist and mediator, joined host Randall Roth to assess Hawaii's long-term prospects. Dator argued that, barring significant change, future generations faced a markedly worse quality of life, driven by forces largely beyond the state's control: a global economy whose decisions were made in Tokyo, New York, and elsewhere; accelerating environmental deterioration; and unchecked population growth. He held that outside owners already determined much of what happened in Hawaii and that prevailing short-term profit motives made long-range planning unlikely. Adler shared the concern about declining quality of life but was less willing to dismiss the possibility of recovery, citing natural systems that had regenerated when given protection. Both agreed that uncontrolled in-migration posed a fundamental challenge, and both questioned whether residents were prepared to accept present costs in order to protect quality of life for subsequent generations. The standing question is whether Hawaii can exercise meaningful local control over its economic and environmental future in the face of forces operating on a global scale.
Transcript
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