Hawaii enacts laws aimed at upholding Paris accord

Hawaii’s governor on Tuesday signed two bills committing the state to fulfilling provisions of the Paris climate agreement less than a week after President Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the deal.

“Hawaii and other Pacific Islands are already experiencing the impact of rising sea levels and natural disasters,” Gov. David Ige (D) said in a statement. “That’s why my administration and the Legislature are already taking concrete steps to implement the Paris Accord.” 

One of the measures, S.B. 559, is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state by reducing overall energy use and implementing new sources of renewable energy. That bill also calls on the state to try to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

{mosads}The other bill, H.B. 1578, authorizes the creation of a task force charged with identifying agricultural and aquacultural practices that could improve soil health and reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere.

Several governors and mayors last week vowed to implement policies in line with the Paris accord despite of Trump’s decision to abandon the deal.

Hawaii became the first state to adopt laws in a show of compliance with the accord, which aims to limit the global temperature rise and curb the effects of climate change by calling on countries to cut carbon emissions and adopt clean-energy technologies. 

In a speech announcing the withdrawal last week, Trump argued that the Paris accord would kill jobs in the U.S. and stymie economic growth, saying that he would try to negotiate a new deal.

That idea, however, was quickly shot down by European leaders, who said the Paris accord would move forward regardless of U.S. participation.