It was poignant to see young activists and Gov. Josh Green in the governor’s ceremonial room settling a lawsuit brought by the teens asserting the state failed to safeguard their constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment.
But to elevate a feel-good moment to real progress in the battle against climate change will require the youths and others like them to remain engaged for the long term and the state, which initially spent $3 million fiercely fighting the case, to honor its commitments.
The settlement in Navahine F. v. Hawaii Department of Transportation, which alleged the state transportation system violated the Hawaii Constitution on environmental protections by favoring cars and fossil fuels over cleaner options, requires Hawaii to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions in ground, sea and air transportation by 2045.
A 2045 target of zero emissions has been bandied in Hawaii in various contexts for 15 years, with disappointing progress across most sectors.
The Navahine deal, however, contains tangible benchmarks to decarbonize transportation and reduce greenhouse emissions that could be significant if they’re met.
These include adopting a plan to meet the 2045 deadline within a year; completing pedestrian, bicycle and transit networks in coordination with counties within five years; and dedicating $40 million to expanding public electric vehicle charging stations by 2030.
The department promised to establish a youth volunteer group to provide advice to the state on future climate change adaptation, and will publicly disclose environmental impacts of state projects.
Results will depend on the commitment and execution — and a recognition that transportation is only a piece of an extremely complex challenge as Hawaii puts its back into mitigating climate change.
About the same time as the Navahine settlement, Green reopened the door to utilities using liquefied natural gas, which some proponents say is a cheaper and cleaner fossil fuel than oil, as a bridge to 100% renewable energy — an idea rejected a decade ago as likely a bridge to more LNG that will only delay renewables.
It feels like a return to square one after 10 years of wheel-spinning.
Our power system appears tenuous as Hawaiian Electric Co. suffers debilitating blackouts with costly and complicated fixes, just as it confronts potentially crushing financial fallout from liability for the Maui fires.
Renewable alternatives to fossil fuel such as solar, wind and biofuel all face significant contention among special interests, slowing progress on 2045 clean energy goals as decisions are endlessly delayed.
You’d think the greatest no-brainer for a conversion to renewables would be solar panels on the roof of every house powering homes and charging electric cars, but turf battles have slowed the pace.
In transportation, Honolulu rail has long been sold as the best solution for getting cars off the road, but it remains in turmoil and isn’t likely to solve anything anytime soon.
As temperatures and sea levels rise faster than scientists anticipated, our societal survival could depend on moving past narrow thinking and self-interest to laser-focus on serving the common good.
We owe the Navahine plaintiffs our thanks for a rare sign this may still be possible.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.
