Blazing a Trail: Hawaii Becomes the First U.S. State to Commit to the Paris Climate Accords

In Brief

•   The government of Hawaii signed two bills on Tuesday which formalizes its commitment to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to pull out of the climate deal.

Tuesday was a historic moment for Hawaii as it became the first state in the U.S. to make its stand on the Paris Climate Agreement formal. The Pacific state signed two bills to honor the climate deal after the federal government’s decision to withdraw from it. In his statement during the signing of the two bills, Hawaii governor David Ige said that he’s looking “forward to working with other states to fight global climate change.”

Governor Ige signed Senate Bill 559 which would “ensure statewide support for Hawaii’s green initiatives and to further the State’s commitment to combat climate change by systematically reducing and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions through the enactment of principles that mirror many of the provisions adopted in the Paris Agreement.”

The governor also signed House Bill 1578, which creates a task force to help keep Hawaii’s soil and air clean. It would “identify agricultural and aquacultural practices to improve soil health and promote carbon sequestration — the capture and long-term storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide to mitigate climate change.”

Hawaii isn’t the only state that pledged to uphold the guidelines set by the Paris Agreement. Several governors and a dozen mayors across the U.S. have promised to do the same. “The Hawaii State Legislature understands the importance of taking action, and I applaud its work this session to ensure that we continue to deliver the island Earth that we want to leave to our children,” Ige said.

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