Legislature has chance to limit emissions of greenhouse gases

On average, each Hawai'i resident adds four pounds of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere every hour of every day. Those pounds (mostly in the form of carbon dioxide) come from the electricity we use, the cars we drive, the planes we fly in — nearly all of our activities.

We now know that all those pounds are changing our climate. Scientists say that heat-trapping greenhouse gases contribute to stronger hurricanes, rising sea levels, hotter summers and prolonged drought. In the not-so-distant future, Hawai'i may be very different than the one to which we are accustomed — unless we do something about it.

State lawmakers are debating a measure to decrease our greenhouse gas emissions, a move that scientists believe is necessary to ward off the most devastating consequences of global climate change. The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2007 (House Bill 226) is a cautious, yet meaningful, policy response to address the problem. It is modeled after California's landmark, bi-partisan effort that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law last September to put in place enforceable limits on global warming pollution.

Those are the key words: enforceable limits. It is simply not fair to future generations to say that we had a "goal" we tried to reach. We have to actually do it. That's where policy comes into play.

Currently, Hawai'i has no law on the books limiting the amount of global warming pollution we create. Sure, we have a host of policies to encourage clean energy use, such as tax incentives and renewable energy goals, as well as federal standards on fuel efficiency. But emissions continue apace. Absent clear enforceable caps on emissions, the sky is the limit.

Many lawmakers accept that global climate change is a problem, but fear that regulating something so pervasive as carbon dioxide would put the brakes on the economy. The truth is the exact opposite. Carbon dioxide pollution represents inefficiency in our economy. The vast majority of that carbon has been imported from Alaska, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and others at a cost of billions annually. Those are dollars that should stay here at home, paying for good, green-collar jobs in the clean energy industry.

Some scoff at the prospect of renewable energy providing much of our power needs, saying that wind, solar, ocean and other sources could never give us the muscle that today's dirty powerplants provide. Nonsense. Germany, at 51 degrees latitude, now has far more installed photovoltaic (solar electric) power than the capacity of all of Hawai'i's power plants combined. Hawai'i's long-term solution will not only be solar, but a mixed plate of energy solutions.

New energy storage technologies —fuel cells, magnetic, electrical, pumped water — will keep the power steady and enable us to power our homes, cars and perhaps even airplanes. Difficult to imagine? It would be equally difficult to ask someone 20 years ago to wrap their minds around the concept of "Googling."

Even so, much of the technology is already here. Ask someone with photovoltaic energy on their home with a backup system — they probably didn't know there was a blackout after last October's earthquake until the neighbors came over with extension cords.

Of course, this fundamental shift to clean, indigenous energy sources will take time. The Global Warming Solutions Act accounts for the lengthy transition needed, providing a half decade to develop and put in place the exact framework for regulating greenhouse gases, then nearly another decade before the first deadline is reached. Although experts could make a solid case for a shorter timeframe, we acknowledge the real-world hurdles in making the shift from black to green power.

We have witnessed a sea change over the past year in public acceptance of the science behind global climate change. People realize that humans are a force of nature. Many are taking personal action to reduce their own four pounds per hour of global warming pollution by driving less, installing compact fluorescent lights, or installing solar on their homes. We all can change some habits, but we also need to change some laws. Without strong public support, however, the state lawmakers are unlikely to pass meaningful climate change legislation this year.

In the 1930s, Winston Churchill wrote of those leaders who refused to acknowledge the clear and present danger of the "gathering storm" in Europe at that time: "The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place, we are entering a period of consequences."

We are entering a period of consequences with global warming. It is time for Hawai'i to take responsibility for its role. Within the next 10 days, the Legislature will decide whether it will rise to the challenge of global climate change and enact enforceable limits to Hawai'i's greenhouse gas emissions.

Please do your part and tell them you support the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2007.

History will remember.

Jeffrey Mikulina is director of the Sierra Club Hawai'i chapter.