With President Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the U.S. has made the most significant federal investment in history to counter climate change. The bill will inject more than $370 billion into climate and energy programs to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Hawaii’s congressional delegation fully supported the IRA.
The IRA’s passage demonstrates that things can happen when environmentalists come together to demand action. It also highlights the action and collaboration needed to make the necessary investments to maintain a livable planet.
It is estimated that this bill will lead to a 40% reduction in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. While significant, climate scientists call for global emissions to be cut by 50% by 2030. Many climate incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act will support Hawaii’s state-level actions and proposed policies that will get us to 50%.
Hawaii is fortunate to have motivated state and county legislators, nonprofits and citizens who have been working for years on solutions to benefit the oceans, the land, the air and the planet.
>> RELATED: Column: Hawaii should take full advantage of IRA to reach its emission reduction goals
They are ready to act urgently, just like the federal government did in the past several weeks when the IRA made it to the Senate and House. Collaboration has been and will be essential.
Several of these motivated citizens have created task forces under Hawaii Environmental Change Agents (HECA), a local coalition focused on maximizing legislation support across various environmental issues. The task forces:
>> The Decarbonization of Transportation Task Force advocates for legislation accelerating the transition to electric vehicles and reducing emissions from the transportation sector.
>> The Decarbonization of Buildings Task Force supports legislation that increases energy efficiency in the everyday operations of buildings and other bills that encourage using “green” building materials in new buildings and recycling materials from demolished buildings.
>> The Clean Power Task Force advocates for legislation that accelerates the transition of electricity generated by utilities away from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy.
>> The Carbon Cashback Task Force advocates for legislation that taxes fossil fuel distributors to discourage the consumption of fossil fuels and distributes the tax revenue to people in equal shares, creating a net financial benefit for most Hawaii families.
>> The Sunscreens Task Force supports legislation prohibiting sunscreens with harmful ingredients to reefs.
>> The For The Fishes Task Force advocates for legislation that prohibits the gathering of aquarium fish from Hawaii’s waters.
>> The Cesspools Task Force advocates for legislation accelerating the conversion of Hawaii’s 88,000 cesspools, which are polluting groundwater and surface waters.
>> The Green Fee Task Force supports legislation that creates a fee that visitors would pay, with the revenues used to maintain the environment.
>> The Green Constitutional Amendment Task Force advocates for legislation that would put up for vote an amendment to the Hawaii Constitution to give everyone the right to a clean, healthy environment.
HECA magnifies the impact of these groups by creating the space for collaboration, encouraging mutual support of policies, and educating the public.
As part of its effort to educate, HECA is hosting a free public webinar on Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. (see HawaiiChangeAgents.org). It will feature speakers representing a wide range of perspectives on climate change and the obstacles to passing legislation to address climate change. It is an opportunity to connect with groups advocating for a cleaner, healthier environment and a livable planet.
Matthew Geyer is a founding member of Hawaii Environmental Change Agents.
