In comparison to other states, Hawai`i\u2019s total greenhouse gas emissions are low (43rd among 50 states and the District of Columbia). As measured in terms of per-capita emissions, it loses ground somewhat: still, at 18 tons of greenhouse gases a year attributable to each Hawai`i resident, the state comes in a respectable 32nd place.<\/p>\n
\tBut much of the credit for Hawai`i\u2019s relatively low contribution to greenhouse gas emissions (low with respect to other states, but still unconscionably high on a global scale) is owing to its mild climate. Winters are warm enough so that most people do not need to heat their homes here. Summer temperatures in Hawai`i rarely hit the peaks that, in other states, make air conditioning a necessity.<\/p>\n
\tOne could almost say that, when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, if we\u2019re have any virtue at all, it\u2019s of the easy, accidental kind.<\/p>\n
\tWhen one looks at the problem more broadly, other aspects of the national emissions profile put Hawai`i figures in worse light.<\/p>\n
\tFactories in industrialized cities produce the cars, trucks, and appliances sold in Hawai`i. Farms in the Midwest and California grow much of the food that ends up on island tables. Books, magazines, newspapers, paper goods, building materials, paints, varnishes, chemicals, pharmaceuticals \u2013 practically all of the consumer goods used in Hawai`i \u2013 are made elsewhere. And in all these instances (and thousands more), the emissions associated with the production of goods used in Hawai`i are added to the balance sheet of some other state or country.<\/p>\n
\tIf Hawai`i consumers paid a tax reflecting the actual carbon emissions generated in the production and transportation of the goods they purchased, the volume of emissions on which taxes would be due would be far in excess of 18 tons annually. How much more is anyone\u2019s guess \u2013 but probably it would be sufficient to cause Hawai`i to zoom up in the rankings.<\/p>\n
Recognizing Limits<\/b><\/i>
\nIt may be that a universal \u2013 or at least a national \u2013 levy on emissions associated with consumer goods would end up being the most equitable approach to devising a revenue stream that could begin to pay for the costs associated with global warming. Those costs \u2013 called externalities, since while they are real enough, they are wholly outside of the expenses that producers or consumers have been held accountable to pay \u2013 are mounting by the day, if not the hour. Coming up with a way to pay for mitigating them is one of the most vital, important tasks facing governments today, as witness the urgency expressed at the United Nations conference in Bali last month.<\/p>\n
Such a broad-based tax would be difficult to impose at the state level. Yet, as the Hawai`i Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Task Force gets down to work, it should not rule out a carbon tax that could serve both as a source of revenue to deal with the effects of global warming locally and as a means of gently guiding consumers onto a less carbon-intensive path.<\/p>\n
\tBecause so much of Hawai`i\u2019s economy depends on oil imports, a per-barrel tax might be the simplest approach and, by being as far \u201cupstream\u201d as possible (that is, as close as possible to the actual point of extraction), it is more likely to cascade into every sector relying on those imports: electricity generation, transportation fuel, manufacturing. Alternatives might be to raise taxes on electricity and fuel; the advantage here is that consumers might have a greater awareness of what they are paying and take steps to curb their consumption accordingly. Other options could include revising the vehicle weight taxes at the state and county levels so that they are more in line with the fuel efficiency (and weight) of cars, trucks, and SUVs, or taxing motorists for actual miles driven (as has been proposed in Oregon).<\/p>\n
\tThe amount of the tax could be derived from calculating the budget that will be required to address the consequences of global warming in Hawai`i. The state\u2019s to-do list will include, at a minimum, relocating and rebuilding many stretches of coastal highways and roads; repairing infrastructure (including sewer lines and water mains) damaged by increasing salinity in the water table; and restoring or defending high-value lands (such as Waikiki beach or the Honolulu airport) that are at risk should sea levels rise. A recent study of Florida\u2019s vulnerability to global warming found that that state\u2019s economy could suffer losses as high as $345 billion a year within the next century if nothing is done to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The state would see its tourist facilities inundated, two nuclear power plants swamped, and three prisons washed away, among other findings reported by researchers at Tufts University. It would benefit Hawai`i to have a similar study undertaken of the vulnerabilities here \u2013 and to use it as a foundation to begin planning for future costs of mitigation.<\/p>\n
Task Masters<\/i><\/b>
\nIt will be the job of the state Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Task Force to weigh these and other measures to size down Hawai`i\u2019s sooty footprint. As it does so, rest assured that the sectors that have been given seats at the table will be aggressive in pursuing their interests, which may not always lie in the direction of increasing accountability for externalities or reducing the state\u2019s dependence on petroleum imports.<\/p>\n
\tWhen it comes right down to it, the responsibility for ensuring that Hawai`i does it part in reducing global emissions of carbon dioxide rests with each one of us who call the islands home. Over and above individual action, however, we must, as a society, make informed decisions on policy. By attending task force meetings, keeping informed of its deliberations, and pushing it to make the hard, if unpopular, choices, members of the public have the opportunity to shape Hawai`i\u2019s response to this looming global crisis for years to come.<\/p>\n
\tThe next meeting will be January 3. Call DBEDT for details.<\/p>\n
Volume 18, Number 7 — January 2008<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In comparison to other states, Hawai`i’s total greenhouse gas emissions are low (43rd among 50 states and the District of Columbia). As measured in terms of per-capita emissions, it loses ground somewhat: still, at 18 tons of greenhouse gases a … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,163],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial","category-january-2008"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1258\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}