Column: Pass bills to address climate emergency

We are facing a climate emergency, as the state Legislature declared last year by adopting Senate Concurrent Resolution 44. Since then, new research data show that the emergency is even more dire than previously thought.

We have less than 10 years to take the drastic action needed to mitigate climate change and avert the extreme droughts, wildfires, storms, floods, heatwaves and other climate disasters that can end civilization as we know it. The world has been aware of climate change for decades, but too little has been done to mitigate it.

Climate change is a wicked problem because our society is so dependent on energy from fossil fuels. Most of the energy used in homes, businesses and factories is generated from fossil fuels. Nearly every commercial product is made and distributed using fossil fuel.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the major greenhouse gas produced by the burning of fossil fuels, and it has been accumulating in the atmosphere since before the Industrial Revolution. According to NASA, CO2 stays in the atmosphere for up to 1,000 years. The fossil fuel burned today will make climate change worse for many generations to come.

We must face the fact that we have not stabilized greenhouse gas emissions. But even if we do, the Earth will continue to heat up because global warming creates vicious loops that increase temperatures further.

One example is the permafrost of the Arctic tundra, which contains 4% of the Earth’s carbon. This permafrost extends 1,500 feet below the surface. Warmer temperatures are melting the permafrost and causing it to release CO2. This CO2 contributes to global warming, which melts more of the permafrost.

Once started, loops like the warming tundra are self-perpetuating. These loops will increase greenhouse gas emissions, driving the temperature of the Earth upward. Thus, the dire emergency and the need for drastic action.

Many bills were introduced in the state Legislature to reduce the burning of fossil fuels and transition our society toward renewable energy. Sadly, many of those bills have died. Yet many remain alive, and if all of them are passed, Hawaii would be taking a substantial step toward doing its part to mitigate climate change.

Unfortunately, there are obstacles. Decades of climate change denial in misinformation by the fossil fuel industry and the politicization of climate action have hampered efforts to decarbonize. This profit motive imperils humanity — atmospheric CO2 concentrations continue to rise unabated. We must overcome these obstacles.

The following bills are still alive in the Legislature as of this week:

>> House Bill 1800 sets the goal that by 2030, statewide greenhouse gas emissions will be at least 50% below the 2005 level.

>> HB 2278 reduces the consumption of fossil fuels by assessing a tax on distributors. The tax revenue is distributed in equal shares to families, and most families will experience a net financial gain.

>> HB 2089 and Senate Bill 3057 revise an objective that electric utilities must meet to move more quickly toward using 100% renewable energy to produce electricity.

>> HB 1801 and SB 2963 require buildings owned by the state to implement energy-efficient practices.

>> The following bills help sequester carbon through farming practices and reforestation: HB 2493, SB 3325, SB 2070, SB 2675 and SB 2990.

>> The following bills facilitate the transition to electric vehicles by offering incentives and expanding public chargers: HB 2090, SB 2720, SB 2196, SB 3311 and SB 3158.

All of the bills above will help mitigate climate change and must be passed.

We face a climate emergency that demands urgent action. Our planet is at stake.

Ted Bohlen is a former deputy attorney general and an environmental advocate with Climate Protectors Hawaii; Sara Bower is a University of Hawaii-Manoa senior studying global environmental science who advocates with the Citizens’ Climate Lobby; Noel Morin is a climate-action advocate with several organizations.