Thirty Meter Telescope protests

Thirty Meter Telescope protests
Part of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement
Native Hawaiian practitioner, Lanakila Mangauil, "protector" Kahookahi Kanuha and others speaking with Mayor Billy Kenoi against the building of more telescopes on Mauna Kea on October 7, 2014
Date	October 7, 2014 – early 2020[1]
Location	Mauna Kea Access Road near Mauna Kea Visitors Center 19°45′32.97″N 155°27′23.07″W / 19.7591583°N 155.4564083°W / 19.7591583; -155.4564083
Caused by	Concern for indigenous, Native Hawaiian cultural and spiritual rights Lack of community and native input Concern over impact to Mauna Kea and groundwater aquifers Concern for protected species and the environment Concern for the religious and spiritual significance of Mauna Kea
Goals	End construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea and ban all further development of the Mauna Kea observatories. Begin decommissioning of existing telescopes.
Methods	Blockade Occupation Civil disobedience Picketing Demonstrations Internet activism Petitions lawsuits
Casualties
Arrested	64[2][3]

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) protests are a series of protests and demonstrations that began on the Island of Hawaii over the choosing of Mauna Kea for the site location of the Thirty Meter Telescope. Mauna Kea is the most sacred dormant volcano of Native Hawaiian religion and culture, and was known to natives as the home to Wākea, the sky god.^[4] Protests began locally within the state of Hawaii on October 7, 2014 but went global within weeks of the April 2, 2015 arrest of 31 people who had blockaded the roadway to keep construction crews off the summit.

The TMT, a $1.4 billion^[5] ground-based, large segmented mirror reflecting telescope grew from astronomers' prioritization in 2000 of a thirty-meter telescope to be built within the decade. Mauna Kea was announced as TMT's preferred site in 2009.^[4] Opposition to the project began shortly after the announcement of Mauna Kea as the chosen site out of 5 proposals. While opposition against the observatories on Mauna Kea has been ongoing since the first telescope, built by the University of Hawaii, this protest may be the most vocal. The project was expected to be completed by 2024, nearly simultaneously with the 39-meter Extremely Large Telescope being built in Chile; however, on December 2, 2015, the Supreme Court of Hawaii invalidated the TMT's building permits. The court ruled that due process was not followed. The TMT corporation then removed all construction equipment and vehicles from Mauna Kea, and re-applied for a new permit, meant to respect the Supreme Court's ruling. This was granted on September 28, 2018.^[6][7] On October 30, 2018, the Court validated the new construction permit.^[8]

The controversy has led to considerable division in the local community with residents choosing support or opposition. Notable native Hawaiian supporters include Peter Apo, sitting trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs,^[9] and leading University of Hawaii professor and astronomer the late Dr. Paul Coleman, who in 2015 said "Hawaiians are just so tied to astronomy I cannot, in any stretch of the imagination, think that TMT is something that our ancestors wouldn't just jump on and embrace".^[10][11] In July 2019, 300 protestors gathered in support of the TMT project outside the Hawaii State Capitol in Honolulu.^[12][13]

In early 2020, the protests and attempts at construction were halted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. No construction has resumed as of 2024, and management of the mountaintop is being transferred to a new oversight authority with representatives of both astronomers and Native Hawaiian communities.^[1]