A popular Hawaiian proverb says, “Aohe hana nui ke alu ia,” or “no task is too big when done together by all.” And no task is bigger than meeting the climate emergency. To achieve the huge, rapid turnaround needed to save our future, we all must do it together.
Bringing the perspectives of the government, business and non-profit sectors, we recognize all of us need to do our part.
It’s this spirit of collective kuleana (responsibility) that brought together the youth plaintiffs and the State of Hawaii last month to reach the historic climate settlement in the Navahine case, the first of its kind in the world.
The agreement commits the State to reducing climate pollution from transportation, our largest source of emissions. It harnesses the power of our state’s most well-funded agency, the Department of Transportation, to reimagine and rebuild Hawaii’s transportation system into the clean, safe and cost-saving network of the future.
Even more broadly, it provides a model for the rest of the nation and world. A model for decarbonizing transportation at the systems level. And a model for coming together to bring transformative change.
It often starts with a nudge. The young plaintiffs, most of them Native Hawaiian, are on the front lines already. They are — we are — experiencing climate harms like fires and heat waves, storms and flooding, and sea-level rise, and it’s only getting worse.
But Hawaii is not just a victim of climate change — we’re contributing to it. Hawaii’s per-person carbon emissions remain higher than 85% of the countries on Earth. Emissions from our cars, trucks, ships and planes are the largest — and growing — share of our carbon footprint.
The youth called for a big change, and their state government heard them. While a common and convenient response in court is to fight, the way forward for quicker climate action is to work together. Because when it comes to the climate, we win or lose together.
The state has been taking steps to reduce transportation emissions, and the joint agreement will expand and expedite the progress. DOT will establish a comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan within a year to chart the way to net-zero emissions by 2045. It also will move forward immediately with ambitious investments in clean transportation infrastructure such as building out the public electric vehicle charging network and completing the pedestrian, bicycle and transit pathways statewide.
New management and staff are being dedicated to lead these efforts, and a youth council is being formed to engage leaders of the next generation.
The settlement also sets the stage for the broader cooperation needed to transform our transportation system. We’ve been moving forward on multiple fronts and can now take it all to the next level.
The Legislature and counties can go big and bold on incentives and funding. Land use planning agencies and developers can tackle sprawl and expand community access to transportation options. Industries like shipping and airlines can lead the way in innovating their businesses.
All of us can look forward to reimagining how we get around in Hawaii. With vehicles that run on renewable electricity and fuels. With a full range of cleaner and cheaper choices for mobility, including walking, biking/scootering and public transit.
The settlement was extraordinary in how the youth and government both rose above the usual grumbles of “no can,” “no like” or “not my kuleana” to meet the climate challenge. Because no task is too big when done together by all.
That may be the gift of the Navahine case and settlement to future generations, not just in Hawaii but across the world.
Ed Sniffen is director of the state Department of Transportation; Isaac Moriwake is managing attorney of Earthjustice’s Mid-Pacific Office and co-counsel for the Navahine youth plaintiffs; Chris Benjamin is the chair of Climate Hawai‘i, an initiative of the Hawai‘i Executive Collaborative.
