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The $100 million expected annually from the new “green fee” that visitors will pay is good news for Hawaii’s natural resources and our ability to adapt to climate change. However, it will do nothing to slow climate change — it won’t reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Department of Health’s recently released estimate of Hawaii’s net greenhouse gas emissions for 2022 is not pretty — a tick up from 2021 and approaching pre-pandemic levels. And fossil fuel imports have continued to increase since 2022.
Whether you care about energy independence, reducing local air pollution or Hawaii doing its part to reduce emissions, this is bad news. We’re losing ground.
Seven years ago our senators and representatives set the target of net-zero emissions by 2045. Now they need to do something to achieve it — they need to pass laws that will wean the state from fossil fuels.
Tom Graham
Kahala
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