These are tough times. We must work harder than ever to prepare Hawaii to face the future with confidence and to thrive. We must stay true to our commitments to make life better for our communities across the islands.

One of those critical commitments is our goal of transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2045. Yes, it’s ambitious, but do we have a choice? We have been reminded of the urgency of our mission by the recent spate and intensity of hurricanes, floods and tornadoes on the continent. That should strengthen our resolve to address the climate crisis before it overwhelms our land, its people and our infrastructure.

The University of Hawaii has done stellar work raising the alarm about the likely impact of rising sea levels and temperatures. Gov. Josh Green’s creation of the Climate Advisory Team (CAT) is a welcome sign that his administration is committed to addressing this grave challenge. Chris Benjamin, the CAT chairman, says its “specific mandate is to look at Hawaii’s readiness for the next disaster, assuming and recognizing that we will have more storms and more climate events.”

While they are not looking at climate mitigation measures, we who are working in the energy arena must. There has been a great deal of discussion about alternatives to fossil fuels and reducing our dependence on them. Solar power has enjoyed growing popularity and has helped lower electricity bills for some consumers; it now constitutes close to 20% of the power used in Hawaii.

There is talk of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a “bridge” to get us to our 100% renewable goal. But as critics like the Sierra Club have pointed out, investing in infrastructure to handle LNG undermines our commitment to renewable energy by 2045.

Some research indicates that LNG may be worse for the environment than coal. State Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick has acknowledged that the timing for building, then dismantling, the infrastructure for LNG by 2045 is tricky. Jeff Mikulina, a climate and social impact strategist, goes further to call that timeline “unattainable.”

But we do have an indigenous resource — geothermal energy — that is often ignored when talking about renewables.

Between 2011 and 2017, Innovations Development Group (IDG) led the way in focusing on geothermal energy, equipping both the general public and policy-makers with insights from its experience in New Zealand.

IDG has set up Waika Consulting, which has been selected as the contractor to the University of Hawaii to build capacity and undertake preliminary planning for the exploration and development of geothermal energy.

We have been blessed with an abundance of Tutu Pele’s gift, and we look forward to being responsible stewards of that gift. We can and will apply IDG’s experience helping the Maori tribes in New Zealand develop their geothermal resources in a community-centered way. We know how important it is to deliver long-term benefits to the people, stimulate the economy and lower cost.

The people on Hawaii island especially have had to deal for too long with electricity costs that are the highest in the nation. It has been painful for businesses and ordinary ratepayers.

Exploring how and where we can tap into the energy of Tutu Pele will put us on the road to reducing that pain.

It’s a challenge we look forward to addressing with our partners at the UH and the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

It’s time to rededicate ourselves to working together to make life better for everyone in Hawaii. Ending our expensive dependence on fossil fuels by developing geothermal energy will go a long way toward doing that.

Malama Solomon, Ph.D., is a former state senator and is a senior adviser to the Waika Consortium; she lives on Hawaii island.