Bill Text: HI SCR61 | 2021 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Reaffirming The State's Commitment To Combat Climate Change And Prioritize Climate Change Legislation.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-04-08 - Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) McDermott excused (1). [SCR61 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2021-SCR61-Amended.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	61
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REAFFIRMING THE STATE'S COMMITMENT TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE AND PRIORITIZE CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION.

 

 

     WHEREAS, in the State adopted, Act 32, Session Laws of Hawaii 2017, which committed to complying with the Paris Climate Agreement, and enacted and codified section 225P-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, in 2018 to reach a zero-emissions clean economy by 2045; and

 

     WHEREAS, coastal erosion threatens nearly every beach in Hawaii and has caused more than thirteen miles of shoreline to be lost throughout the islands; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State's Sea Level Rise Adaptation Vulnerability Report estimates that the sea level will rise by three feet as early as 2060 and cause at least $19,000,000,000 in damage by the end of the century; and

 

     WHEREAS, the sediment released from erosion also decreases ocean water quality and causes ocean acidification, both of which are harmful to local reefs; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2019, petroleum-fired energy accounted for approximately 70.4 percent of Hawaii's net electricity generation (6,864 MWh) while forms of renewable energy, such as conventional hydroelectric, all utility-scale solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass, accounted for only 12.14 percent of the State's net electricity generation; and

 

     WHEREAS, section 269-92, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires each electrical utility company that sells electricity for consumption in the State to establish a renewable portfolio standard of one hundred percent of its net electricity sales by December 31, 2045; and

 

     WHEREAS, professors at Cornell University affirm that environmental education is an essential element of the global response to climate change and climate literacy promotes students rethinking their attitudes and decisions; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State is particularly vulnerable to natural disaster exacerbated by climate change through wildfires or major storms, and students in the State would especially benefit from environmental education to foster community and socio-ecological resilience; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Land and Natural Resources is responsible for managing the State's coastal waters, beaches, state parks, and public lands, including seven hundred fifty miles of coastline, 1,300,000 acres of state lands, and fifty-two state parks; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Land and Natural Resources is the agency tasked with caring for the State's plant and wildlife sanctuaries, conservation districts, watershed protection, natural area reserves, and protecting native resources, including the preservation of endangered species and unique ecosystems; and

 

     WHEREAS, in the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the Department of Land and Natural Resources was budgeted $157,867,887 in the final approved Statewide Supplemental Operating Budget out of a final approved statewide total of $15,672,211,865, constituting only 1.0 percent of the Statewide Supplemental Operating Budget; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State recently adopted Act 45, Session Laws of Hawaii 2020, which established a Statewide Sustainability Branch within the Office of Planning to develop, organize, and promote policies and programs that assist in the meeting of Hawaii's numerous sustainability and climate policies and goals, in addition to updating and reaffirming the role of the Office of Planning to coordinate among state agencies regarding climate change adaptation, sea level rise adaptation, and sustainability; and

 

     WHEREAS, section 226-109, Hawaii Revised Statutes, established climate change adaptation priority guidelines to prepare the State for addressing the impacts of climate change, including impacts to the areas of agriculture, conservation lands, coastal and nearshore marine areas, natural and cultural resources, education, energy, higher education, health, historic preservation, water resources, housing, recreation, transportation, and the economy; and

 

     WHEREAS, the City and County of Honolulu's Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resilience plays a critical role in Hawaii's response to climate change by monitoring the evolution of climate science, coordinating the response and policies within the City and County of Honolulu, integrating sustainable and environmental values into legislation, and prioritizing community preparedness; and

 

     WHEREAS, ecological restoration projects in support of the recovery of damaged or destroyed ecosystems is extremely valuable in mitigating the negative effects of climate change, by enhancing the extent and fun­ctioning of carbon sinks and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; and

 

     WHEREAS, most ecological restoration projects are community efforts.  For example, Hui o Koolaupoko works with volunteers at the Heeia Estuary to remove invasive species, which filters stormwater runoff, fosters native species growth, and aids in erosion control; and

 

     WHEREAS, forty governments worldwide have already implemented some form of carbon emission regulation, through either a direct carbon tax or a cap-and-trade program, which results in a drastic reduction in coal use and carbon emissions, a necessary step in combating climate change.  For example, Sweden introduced an extensive carbon tax in 1995, which has since shrunk their carbon emissions by twenty-five percent, while growing their economy by seventy-five percent; and

 

     WHEREAS, economists from across the political spectrum almost universally support a tax on carbon emissions, as it can stimulate a country's economy and create an incentive to invest in the green energy industry; now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the House of Representatives concurring, that this body reaffirms Hawaii's commitment to combating climate change and prioritizing climate change legislation; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body is urged to commit to focusing on climate change legislation that reduces greenhouse gas emissions as laid out in the framework of the 2016 Paris Climate Accord; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State is requested to continue its commitment to set ambitious goals for carbon sequestration, decrease of greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease of the State's dependence on imported fuels; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State must persist in its mission to reach a zero-emissions clean economy and use renewable sources to obtain a renewable portfolio standard of one hundred percent of net electricity sales statewide by 2045 and prioritize the establishment of a green energy industry within the islands by supporting renewable sources of energy and green initiatives; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State is requested to commit to considering the scope and importance of the Department of Land and Natural Resources' mission when determining future statewide supplemental operating budgets to ensure the Department is capable of protecting and preserving the flora and fauna under its jurisdiction, which is a critical component of Hawaii's response to climate change; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State is further requested to recognize the importance of raising awareness about the climate crisis and advocating for climate literacy and will promote youth climate literacy and increased public awareness; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State is urged to continue to support ecological restoration projects to integrate government and community level efforts to restore native plants and animals to their local habitats and the positive impacts these projects can have in regard to climate change; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and Director of the Office of Planning.

Report Title: 

Climate Change; Paris Agreement; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Carbon Neutrality; Climate Literacy; Renewable Energy; Ecological Restoration