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Telescopes at the top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. Some Native Hawaiians view Mauna Kea as sacred and oppose the construction of a new giant telescope.
Caleb Jones / AP
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Caleb Jones / AP
Telescopes at the top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. Some Native Hawaiians view Mauna Kea as sacred and oppose the construction of a new giant telescope.
Caleb Jones / AP
The Hawaii Supreme Court has sided with scientists in the battle to build one of the largest telescopes in the world, rejecting the efforts of Native Hawaiians to block its construction at the top of what some regard as a sacred volcano.
In 2015, a building permit for the 30-meter telescope, or TMT, to be built on Mauna Kea, was canceled following protests and appeals from the court, stating that the dormant volcano is a sacred land that would be violated during the construction process.
However, in a decision on Tuesday 4-1, the Hawaii Supreme Court upheld the building permit for the telescope, with its huge 30-meter (98-foot) primary mirror made up of hundreds of smaller segments.
According to court documents, "practitioners of Native Hawaiian culture believe that Mauna Kea, as a sacred manifestation of its ancestors, should be honored in its natural state and is desecrated by the development of installations of 39, astronomy near its summit ", while scientists have argued" this telescope use is an authorized and appropriate use of the summit area, different measures are being taken to reduce the impact of TMT, and Mauna Kea can also to be honored through the advancement of scientific knowledge that TMT would provide. "
The remoteness of Mauna Kea, located on the Big Island, protects it from urban light pollution and extremely dry air near its summit from a height of 30 meters (13,803 feet), which makes it ideal for astronomy. It already houses 13 telescopes installed in a dozen separate facilities, including the twin instruments 10 meters (33 feet) from the Keck Observatory, currently one of the largest optical telescopes in the world.
The TMT project builds on an international partnership between Caltech and the University of California, the National Research Council of Canada and astronomical organizations from India, China and the United States. Japan. The chairman of the partnership's board of directors, Henry Yang, issued a statement following the court's ruling on Tuesday.
"We are excited to be able to move forward in Hawaii and will continue to respect and abide by state and county regulations in determining our next steps," he said. "We are deeply grateful to our many friends and supporters for their tremendous support over the years."
Joanna Pokipala and her son Kala Pokipala embrace while they were reunited with telescope protesters in front of the Supreme Court building in Hawaii in Honolulu in June.
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher / AP
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Jennifer Sinco Kelleher / AP
Joanna Pokipala and her son Kala Pokipala embrace while they were reunited with telescope protesters in front of the Supreme Court building in Hawaii in Honolulu in June.
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher / AP
KAHEA, an organization for the revitalization and protection of the unique natural and cultural resources of the state, said it was disappointed by the court's decision.
"Thousands of practitioners of Hawaiian culture have affirmed the sanctity of Mauna Kea's entire Thousands of others have supported Mauna Kea's protection against the TMT project," said the group in a statement. communicated.
"The Court's opinion has done nothing to change that," the statement said, inviting Hawaii Governor David Ige and other supporters of the project to "place the well-being of the population of Hawaii i first and relocate her Mauna Kea project. "
"The High Court has examined thousands of pages of documents and testimonies over many years, so it is difficult to imagine the monumental task of judges in making this decision," Ige said. "We believe this decision is right and fair and will continue to keep Hawaii at the forefront of astronomy."
The President of the University of Hawaii, David Lassner, who supports the project, also said he is satisfied with the court's decision.
Tuesday's decision is the latest in a process that has been going on for years and aims to make the giant telescope a reality.
The Mauna Kea site was chosen by TMT scientists after "a rigorous five-year campaign covering the entire world and measuring virtually all the atmospheric characteristics that can affect the performance of the telescope," according to the group's website.
Telescope planning began in 2009 and a permit was issued for the first time in 2011.
However, a groundbreaking ceremony was halted by protests in 2014, according to the Associated Press.
Protests escalated in 2015, with 31 people arrested in April of this year for blocking a road, according to Molly Solomon of Hawaii Public Radio. A lawsuit was then filed, which led to the invalidation of the building permit by the state Supreme Court.
After Tuesday's decision, Kealoha Pisciotta, described by the AP as one of the leading rulers against the telescope, no longer thinks that the judicial process is viable.
"The court is the last bastion of democracy," she told the AP. "The only other option is to go down to the street.If we lose the integrity of the court, you lose public order, and the only other option is that people get up."
While the permit was re-approved, State Department of Lands and Natural Resources Chair Suzanne Case told the PA that the next steps would involve the submission and revision of construction plans. .
The AP also reported that protesters were not planning to backtrack. According to the opponent of the Kahookahi Kanuha telescope, Hawaiians should prepare for nonviolent resistance.
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