The Montana ruling favoring the young plaintiffs’ claim against that state’s fossil-fuel policies bodes well for the Hawaii youths’ lawsuit against transportation emissions (“Young activists prevail in climate change trial in Montana,” Star-Advertiser, Breaking News, Aug. 14; “Hawaii youth climate lawsuit trial set for next summer,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 5).
Unfortunately, even if they win, reducing vehicular emissions will take years to implement. Regardless, Hawaii must plan now to transition away from transportation that both exacerbates climate change and lacks resilience against it.
During college, I drove monorails at Disney World. At NASA, I developed electric launch technologies and advised a maglev project. Later, I consulted for an intercity monorail proposal. These experiences showed me the benefits of an elevated, electric, intercity transportation system: zero- emission, flood-resistant, small footprint, negligible runoff, low-cost, efficient, and safe. It would also reduce traffic congestion and offer socially equitable mobility for non-drivers, like the young, elderly, and disabled.
Most importantly, it would help mitigate climate change — an existential threat that Hawaii and indeed the world must either solve or continue to suffer from.
Michael Wright
Glen Rock, Penn.
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