Hawaii stimmt in einer „bahnbrechenden“ Einigung zum Klimawandel mit Jugendlichen der Dekarbonisierung seines Transportsystems zu | Der Staat hat zugestimmt, sein Transportsystem bis 2045 zu dekarbonisieren.

From the article: On Thursday, Hawaii agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by 13 young people alleging the state had violated their constitutional rights with infrastructure that adds to greenhouse (GHG) emissions, exacerbating climate change.

In the settlement, the state agreed to decarbonize its transportation system by 2045.

At a news conference, Governor of Hawaii Josh Green, a Democrat, called the settlement “groundbreaking,” reported Reuters.

“We’re addressing the impacts of climate change today, and needless to say, this is a priority because we know now that climate change is here,” Green said, as Reuters reported. “It is not something that we’re considering in an abstract way in the future.”

Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT) is the first constitutional climate case led by youth that addresses climate pollution from transportation, a press release from Earthjustice said.

In the lawsuit, youth plaintiffs asserted their state constitutional rights to a healthy and safe climate. They asked Hawaii’s government to take needed actions to address the climate crisis and shift to a transportation system with zero emissions.

The young people argued that Hawaii had been focusing on projects like highway expansion and construction, rather than making projects that reduce carbon emissions more of a priority, reported Reuters.

“The settlement agreement, which the court has approved, recognizes children’s constitutional rights to a life-sustaining climate and mobilizes HDOT to plan and implement transformative changes of Hawaiʻi’s transportation system to achieve zero emissions in all ground transportation, and interisland sea and air transportation, by 2045. The court will retain jurisdiction to enforce the agreement for the next 21 years until its terms have been achieved,” the press release said.