Hawai'i, in its isolation, may have more at stake than any other U.S. state when it comes to global warming. Although our automobiles and industries contribute relatively little of the pollution linked to global warming, we could play a significant role in moving our nation closer to a responsible air-quality policy.

More cause for concern came to light this week, with officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sounding an alarm about high temperatures in the Caribbean that could damage coral reefs, the foundation of a healthy marine ecosystem worldwide. Additionally, a recent study by Benjamin Santer and other climate scientists concluded that global warming increases sea surface temperatures, a rise that fuels intensified hurricane activity.

Rising temperatures, of course, would pose a threat to our own reefs and fisheries. And when the mercury in the thermometer rises, so does the ocean level. The impact of melting polar ice caps on tiny Pacific islands shouldn't need underscoring here.

The Santer study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is only the latest piece of evidence about hurricanes and global warming, an issue that became particularly worrisome in the year after the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Imagine what more frequent and more devastating Pacific hurricanes might mean for us here.

Legislators should re-examine the state's commitment to clean air as they gear up for the next session. Hawai'i should follow the lead of California, which has declared war on "greenhouse gases," emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and cause global warming. This week California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that commits to cutting greenhouse gases by 25 percent by 2020.

Additionally, California pioneered the "Clean Cars Program," with stricter emissions standards than the federal government imposes and a goal of reducing global warming emissions by 64 million tons by 2020. Nine other states are on board — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

There's every reason to add Hawai'i's name to the list. The Bush administration has refused to acknowledge the human role in global warming. If the administration is not going to get on board, it'll have to get out of the way of a grassroots movement among the states that is picking up steam.