Hawaii’s Governor signed two bills Tuesday, that are committing the state to fulfill key provisions of the Paris climate agreement, less than a week following President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. would pull out of the agreement.
“Hawaii and other Pacific Islands are already experiencing the impact of rising sea levels and natural disasters. That’s why my administration and the Legislature are already taking concrete steps to implement the Paris Accord”, Governor David Ige said in a statement.
One of the measures, SB 559, is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state by reducing overall energy use and implementing new sources of renewable energy. The bill also calls on the state to try to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The second measure, HB 1578, authorizes the creation of a task force charged with identifying agricultural and aqua-cultural practices that could improve soil health and reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere.
Hawaii became the first state to adopt laws in a show of compliance with the accord, which aims to limit the global temperature rise and curb the effects of climate change by calling on countries to cut carbon emissions and adopt clean energy technologies.
In a speech announcing the withdrawal last week, Trump argued that the Paris accord would kill jobs in the U.S. and stall the economic growth, saying that he would try to negotiate a new deal.
Be the first to comment