Hawaii settles climate case with young litigants: what was the lawsuit — and the settlement?

Sub: IR

Sec: Places in news

Hawaii Lawsuit Settlement on Transportation and Climate Change:

Hawaii settled a lawsuit with 13 young plaintiffs, agreeing to decarbonize the state’s transportation system over the next 21 years.
The lawsuit, filed in 2022, was the first youth-led constitutional climate case targeting transportation sector emissions.

Lawsuit Background:

Navahine v. Hawaii Department of Transportation argued the state violated the constitutional right to a clean environment by prioritizing fossil fuel-based transportation infrastructure.
Hawaii’s transportation sector is projected to contribute 60% of the state’s emissions by 2030.
Fossil fuel burning leads to greenhouse gas emissions, causing global warming and extreme weather events, affecting agriculture and other sectors in Hawaii.
Settlement Requirements:
- Achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions across all transportation modes by 2045.
- Publish a greenhouse gas reduction plan within a year.
- Complete pedestrian, bicycle, and transit networks within five years.
- Allocate at least $40 million to expand the public electric vehicle charging network by 2030.
- The state will be accountable to a judge for enforcing the agreement.
Challenges:
- The Department of Transport oversees airports and harbours, where current technologies rely heavily on fossil fuels, making the net-zero goal difficult to achieve.

Source: IE