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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
106 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
H.D. 1 |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AND DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO TAKE ANY ACTION POSSIBLE TO REDUCE THE CARBON EMISSIONS ARISING FROM AIRPLANE TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE STATE.
WHEREAS, because the Hawaiian islands are the most remote inhabited archipelago from any continental land mass, to and from which air transportation is the only means of rapid travel to and from the islands; and
WHEREAS, a 2019 Honolulu Civil Beat article written by Stewart Yerton states that airplane flights between the State and the western continental United States produced 2.3 million tons of carbon in 2017, while all global flights to or from the State totaled 6.3 million tons of carbon during the same year; and
WHEREAS, a presentation at the Hawaiʻi Tourism Futures Colloquium by University of Hawaiʻi researcher Andrei Shkvorov added water vapor, particulates, and nitrogen oxides to the totals provided in Yerton's article and determined that the annual carbon contribution of visitors entering and leaving the State is 24.6 million tons yearly; and
WHEREAS, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has calculated that each individual must remain within a yearly "carbon budget" of 2.7 tons in order to keep human-made global warming below 1.75 degrees Celsius and reach zero net emissions by 2050; and
WHEREAS, a 2020 paper written by Tawn Keeney, MD, in the Climate Emergency Digest, an online journal, found that the average round-trip flight to and from the State creates 1.8 tons of carbon emissions, which is two thirds of a person's 2.7-ton annual carbon budget; and
WHEREAS, multiple possibilities exist to address carbon emissions caused by air travel to and from the State, which include but are not limited to offsetting the carbon contributions from visitors, adjusting the number of visitors coming to the State, and requiring airlines operating in the State to use technology which has a lower carbon output; and
WHEREAS, some governmental action to curb emissions from airplane travel requires legislative action, while other governmental action to curb such emissions can be taken by departments and agencies without the need for legislative action; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Health, Department of Transportation, and Department of Land and Natural Resources are urged to take any action possible to reduce the carbon emissions arising from airplane transportation to and from the State; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health, Department of Transportation, and Department of Land and Natural Resources are requested to convene a task force to research sustainable aviation fuel and other decarbonization measures for domestic and international travel that can be turned into actual recommendations for the departments and Legislature; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to consist of the following members:
(1) The Director of Transportation, to serve as co-chair;
(2) The Chief Energy Officer of the Hawaii State Energy Office, to serve as co-chair;
(3) A representative from the Department of Health;
(4) A representative from the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission; and
(5) Any members deemed necessary and invited by the co-chairs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health, Department of Transportation, and Department of Land and Natural Resources are urged to develop legislative proposals, whether in coordination with each other or independently, and submit their proposals to the Legislature and Governor no later than forty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health, Department of Transportation, and Department of Land and Natural Resources are requested to consult the most current published scientific research when taking action to reduce emissions and when developing their legislative proposals; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, Director of Transportation, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Chief Energy Officer, and Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.
Department of Health, Department of Transportation, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Emissions, Airplanes