It happened because the state constitution has this in it:
Section 9. Each person has the right to a clean and healthful environment, as defined by laws relating to environmental quality, including control of pollution and conservation, protection and enhancement of natural resources. Any person may enforce this right against any party, public or private, through appropriate legal proceedings, subject to reasonable limitations and regulation as provided by law. [Add Const Con 1978 and election Nov 7, 1978]
The settlement in the youth climate lawsuit in Hawaii reportedly includes a requirement to drop greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in the state to zero by 2045.
That means bikes, ebikes, mass transit, and electric vehicles.
That means not just running existing fossil-fuel-burning power plants, but replacing them with renewables and storage to supply that electrified transportation system.
It means concrete actions now, like installing bike lanes and public EV chargers.
It means actual decarbonization, and not just adding renewables on top of fossil fuels.
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