President Donald Trump decision to take the U.S. out of the Paris accord has made the U.S. one of only three nations not involved in the deal, the other two being Syria and Venezuela. However, the green and beautiful state of Hawaii has chosen to stay with the principles of that accord, by passing new laws to enforce various portions of the Paris Accord.
Governor and mayors meet to sign two new laws
Governor David Ige, together with several county mayors, signed two laws this week, aiming to improve the conditions of the environment in Hawaii and to reduce that state’s carbon footprint, making it the first U.S.
state to uphold the principles of the Paris Accord.
Hawai‘i becomes first state to enact law that aligns with #Parisagreement #USClimateAlliance #higov https://t.co/WqFNNFvFet pic.twitter.com/vvRH3iqn6Q
— Governor David Ige (@GovHawaii) June 6, 2017
Hawaii to decrease air pollution and carbon emissions, while capturing carbon dioxide
SB 559 was passed in an effort to broaden Hawaii’s methods of decreasing air pollution and carbon emissions. A second bill, SB 1578, was signed to set up a task force to research and identify aquacultural and agricultural practices to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in order to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. The new laws are set to be closely aligned with climate change goals and principles adopted by the Paris Climate Accord, regardless of the choice of the Trump Administration to withdraw.
Ige said in a statement that the new laws are setting the course for Hawaii and its residents for generations to come. The state is reportedly one of several U.S. states who wish to abide by the principles of the Paris Accord and to uphold the environmental treaty, despite the fact that the federal government has rejected it.
As reported by The Hill, Ige went on to say that Hawaii, along with other Pacific Islands, is already seeing the effects of climate change in the form of natural disasters and rising sea levels.
Hawaii to curb the effects of climate change
As reported by Hawaii News Now, Wil Okabe, the Hawaii County managing director, went on to emphasize the importance of these two new laws, saying they are aimed at making Hawaii participate actively in the treaty, while investigating alternative energy sources and going green.
Okabe added that Hawaii want to be the first of many states to do this and to become an example to the whole world.
First U.S. state to abide by the Paris Accord
The signing of the two new laws comes less than two weeks after the announcement by Trump to pull out of the Paris Accord, a global agreement aimed to address climate change in the world. Ige said at the signing ceremony that Hawaii, as an island state, is especially aware of the limits of its natural environment. He said the state sees the impact of their actions and said it is important for states and governors to lead and abide by the principles of the Paris Accord.
