In Hawaii and worldwide, funding to reduce emission of greenhouse gases and to prepare for global environmental changes such as sea-level rise and changed weather patterns caused by global warming is far too limited. Climate action was part of many a candidate’s platform in the last round of elections, and Gov. Josh Green prominently made his proposal for a Climate Action Fund part of his campaign.

Green was elected by a large margin, and centered climate action as one pillar of his governance plan. However, as issues including climate action have worked their way through the state Legislature, they have taken on new forms and new titles. Green’s Climate Action Fund, proposed at $100 million, has not survived the legislative process, but several measures to address Hawaii’s need for renewable energy and climate resilience have crossed over and may make it to the finish line. They rightly should.

Green also supported a tourist fee that would be imposed on all visitors to the state, and could help seed the Climate Action Fund. That proposal has been altered and narrowed to target users of popular state parks and trails, charging visitors for admission. Specifics are still being developed as part of the lawmaking process, but there is a decent chance that Senate Bill 304, which moved out of the House Finance Committee on Wednesday, will eventually make its way to the governor’s desk, as it should. While it won’t raise the kind of revenue that could build a robust climate fund, it would provide much-needed money for oversight of parks and trails by a chronically underfunded Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).

The legislation closest in intent to Green’s Climate Action Fund is House Bill 952, which allots an unspecified amount of funding to the DLNR to address the impacts of climate change in the state. The bill is clear in its intent to leverage federal funding to pay for climate-related infrastructure and resilience projects.

This bill has crossed over but is currently with the Senate Ways and Means (WAM) Committee. It’s crucial that WAM and the Legislature acknowledge the need for action on this issue. HB 952 must be provided a hearing this week so it can be further considered, and move to a full legislative vote.

Environmental groups are particularly enthusiastic about the positive momentum for what’s being called a “Green Bank,” or Green Infrastructure Authority, which would issue loans for solar energy and energy storage to homeowners with limited incomes. The amount appropriated for the Green Bank could go as high as $300 million, as detailed in House Bill 300, the House budget appropriation bill.

Supporters say that this money, too, can be leveraged with federal funding to go even further, creating living-wage solar-energy jobs and moving tens of thousands of families closer to energy independence.

A newly formed group, the Hawaii Executive Collaborative Climate Coalition, submitted its first legislative testimony on HB 300’s Green Infrastructure Authority, and its appearance is also a positive development for the state. Established in 2022 to encourage climate-sensitive standards and demonstrate allied goals for Hawaii climate action, it includes 32 private, public and nonprofit organizations, and includes a number of diverse organizations, including Zippy’s and Alexander &Baldwin, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii and Young Brothers, educational institutions and the four counties.

The Legislature must continue to nurture the kind of positive forward momentum for action to build climate resilience evidenced in the widespread public and private support for the Green Bank. This type of climate action benefits the state in enduring ways by benefiting the economy, creating jobs and, of course, helping to stabilize the environment.