The Hawaiʻi Climate Commission has compiled a list of almost 250 climate projects as part of its development of a new roadmap to guide state climate action.
But even if all of those projects were implemented, the state would fall short of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.
Hawaiʻi has adopted ambitious climate laws that require the state to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, and eliminate emissions entirely by 2045.
The commission's Hawaiʻi Climate Action Pathways report, available as a draft, is the latest state publication grappling with the reality of what it will take to achieve those goals.
A report from the state Department of Health released earlier this year warned that, given its current trajectory of emission reductions, the state will fall short of its 2030 and its 2045 deadlines.
A Hawaiʻi State Energy Office plan from December 2023 suggested aggressive actions for the state to take if it intends to fully transition away from fossil fuels.
The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation is in the process of drafting its own report on how it plans to eliminate emissions from the transportation sector. State transportation officials have acknowledged that hitting the 2030 target may not be feasible.
Leah Laramee, the climate coordinator for the commission, said the Climate Action Pathways report lays out a "conservative approach" in light of major cuts to federal climate and energy programs under the Trump administration.
"Without that federal support, we're really stunted in what we can do," she said.
Even federal support for the Climate Action Pathways report itself was briefly in question.
The commission received a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to consult technical experts and conduct community outreach for the report.
Along with other sources of EPA funding for Hawaiʻi, that grant was frozen for a few weeks earlier this year.
"We definitely were unsure if we were going to be able to complete this process," Laramee said. "With the great support of our state, we're able to get that up and running again."
In addition to the withdrawal of federal support for climate initiatives, Laramee noted that challenges in finding investors in Hawaiʻi’s energy sector and delays in permitting for utility-scale solar projects are slowing down Hawaiʻi’s efforts to transition away from fossil fuels.
In spite of the obstacles, Laramee said now is not the time to abandon the state's climate goals.
She said the report can be viewed as a "conversation-starter" about bigger steps the state can take to decarbonize.
"We're all in general agreement that we want to reach those goals, and that's why we passed the legislation to meet them," she said. "How can we actually achieve that?"
The Hawaiʻi Climate Commission is taking public feedback on the report until Sept. 30. Find more information here.
