Here are the articles that were written by chapter members across Hawaii in 2021.

December 27, 2021 - Carbon prices help meet reduction pledge

by Bobbie Best

Both the bipartisan infrastructure bill, as well as the Build Back Better budget reconciliation bill not yet passed, include encouraging climate policy, but will only deliver roughly 35-45 percent carbon emission reductions below 2005 levels, failing to meet see you the 50 percent reduction promise that Biden pledged on Earth Day.That shortfall could be covered by implementing a corporate polluter fee, also known as a carbon price or a carbon fee.

A carbon price alone starting at $15 could reduce emissions 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

A carbon price becomes affordable for ordinary Americans when the money collected from corporate polluters is given as a dividend, or “carbon cash back” payment, to every American.

This protects low- and middle-income Americans who otherwise might not be able to afford the transition.

A new global poll conducted for the BBC World Service shows increased public support for a carbon tax on the types of energy that most cause climate change. Signing on were 91 members to cosponsor Rep. Ted Deutch’s carbon pricing bill, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 2307) which would deliver these mechanisms.

Our Hawaii senators and representatives would support this bill if it came to a vote.

A new paper published in “Nature” says climate action through carbon pricing and revenue recycling has benefits for poverty, inequality and well-being.

Taxation of carbon does not add to inflation but would offset higher energy costs per a paper from Centre for Economic Policy Research.

Fossil fuel cost is always going to be volatile, and the solution is to stop using them.

Bobbie Best

Wailuku

December 1, 2021 - Senate Needs To Put A Carbon Tax In Build Back Better

by Paul Bernstein

It's crucial to effectively mitigate global warming emissions, accelerate our transition to clean energy and pave the way for a livable world for our future generations.

It’s exciting to see Congress take meaningful action to better our country.

With the passage of the huge bipartisan infrastructure bill, America will make many long-overdue infrastructure improvements and put many more Americans to work. The bill also addresses climate change, providing billions of dollars for cleaning up orphaned oil and gas wells, building a national network of charging stations for electric vehicles, improving our electricity grid and expanding clean energy and climate change accommodations.

Last week, Reps. Ed Case and Kai Kahele joined the rest of their Democratic colleagues in voting for the House’s version of the Build Back Better bill. This bill is now in the Senate. We praise the bill for allocating billions of dollars for clean energy incentives, removing tax loopholes for and increasing taxes on oil and gas companies, funding to retrofit homes and businesses to be more energy efficient, and introducing a methane fee to curb natural gas leaks. These measures complement those in the recently signed bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.

Collectively, these bills are essential for us to begin to tackle climate change and build our country’s climate resilience. They, however, lack the single most environmentally effective policy —  a price on carbon. Without this policy, it is unlikely that the U.S. will achieve President Biden’s goal of a 50% reduction in emissions from 2005 levels by 2030.

Read the entire article here.

November 19, 2021 - Carbon Pricing a vital tool (The Garden Isle)

by Bobbie Best

The AP article in “The Garden Island” on Thursday, Nov. 11, on the sale of oil and gas leases by the U.S., is disturbing for those of us worried about the climate catastrophe.

There would be a much-greater impact from a carbon price as opposed to trying to come up with a policy about leasing.

Carbon pricing is a cost-effective, efficient way to reduce emissions and with cash back to residents, as supported by Senators Schatz, Deutsh and Whitehouse. The policy helps low- and middle- income families.

It will create jobs and save lives with cleaner air and water. Rep. Kai Kahele agrees, along with many economists and Janet Yellen. Rep. Ed Case is for carbon pricing, and Sen. Mazie Hirono, concerned with climate change, is a champion for economic justice. Carbon pricing is a vital tool we hope gains enough traction to prevail.

Bobbie Best - Wailuku

November 7, 2021 - Fight emissions with carbon tax, cash back (Honolulu Star Advertiser)

by Virginia Tincher

At present, the policies outlined in the reconciliation bill have the potential to deliver roughly 40% reductions in emissions below 2005 levels. Regulations and state-level policies may contribute to additional emission cuts, but we could still fall short of our emissions targets. A fee on corporate carbon pollution should be in the mix to reach our climate goals without any additional spending.

Modeling from Resources for the Future shows a carbon price alone, starting at $15, could reduce emissions 45% below 2005 levels by 2030.

The money from the fee could be returned to U.S. households as a “carbon cash back.” A carbon tax becomes affordable for ordinary Americans when the money collected from corporate polluters is given as a dividend, or “carbon cash back” payment, to every American. This protects low- and middle- income Americans who otherwise might not be able to afford the transition.

Virginia Tincher - Aina Haina

October 31, 2021 - Carbon fee effective tool to battle climate change

by Bobbie Best

An Oct. 21 Forbes article by Hersh Shefrin entitled “Hugely important moments of truth loom for carbon pricing policy: Bold leadership required now” argues that the U.S. must include a fee on carbon in line with its social costs.

At least 63 percent of Americans favor this. Its revenues can be distributed to households, protecting those with low incomes from the inevitable increase in fuel costs.

If included in the Reconciliation Bill, President Biden and John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, can attend the COP26 meeting with credibility. The U.S. would not be threatened by a border carbon adjustment that the European Union wants to impose. Even China has instituted carbon pricing.

Sen. Brian Schatz is on board, as is Rep. Kai Kahele. Sen. Mazie Hirono is concerned with fiscal justice, so should support this approach and Rep. Ed Case surely must care about this practical tool to ease our climate emergency. I hope that they, as well as our citizens, will ask President Biden to remember his campaign pledge to endorse carbon pricing, especially since a cash-back to residents will help everyone’s pocketbook.

This policy will engender more jobs, better health, cleaner reefs, etc. With the cost of floods, drought, trees and other creatures we are losing, we can’t afford to ignore this tool.

Bobbie Best - Wailuku

October 29, 2021 - Carbon pricing

by Bobbie Best

The Associated Press article in the Oct. 27 issue is enlightening and concerning.

It’s obvious that the climate crisis is upon us. One effective tool, agreed on by Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Kai Kahele, is carbon pricing with a cash back for residents.

This has fossil fuel emitters paying the cost of their activities. Then, when they raise their prices, residents will have the wherewithal to pay from the checks they receive, which helps the lower- and middle- income households the most. The results will be cleaner air and waters, lives saved, increased jobs in alternative energy, and more.

It is hoped that Sen. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Ed Case will get on board, as well, and that our president remember that he was for carbon pricing during his last campaign.

Bobbie Best - Wailuku, Maui

October 27, 2021 - Address climate change via carbon tax in deal

by Paul Bernstein

The New York Times article, “Biden meets with key Democrats on budget deal” (Star-Advertiser, Oct. 25), highlights the urgency for President Joe Biden to land on a package that meets the $2 trillion price tag and addresses climate change.

If Biden were to successfully push for a carbon tax that returned much of the dividends to households, he would win on the U.S. and international stage. This policy would meet his goal of 50% reduction in emissions by 2030, benefit lower-income households, have minimal impact on the budget, and return the U.S. to being a world leader on climate in advance of international negotiations.

In addition, if this policy included a border carbon adjustment, it would boost and protect U.S. companies, eliminating the risk of having exports impacted by carbon levies from the European Union and Canada, and protect U.S. products against imports. This policy already has the support of Hawaii’s U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele and U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz.

October 20, 2021 - Climate change bigger risk than COVID

By John Kawamoto

Comorbidities in the field of medicine describe the presence of two or more illnesses or diseases in the same person at the same time. Comorbidities are associated with health outcomes that are more severe, requiring treatment that is more complex.

Climate change and COVID-19 are both considered to be “wicked” problems because each consists of many independent factors that are in flux, making the search for a solution daunting. All of humanity is now faced with the comorbidities of climate change and COVID-19.

Climate change is already responsible for extreme weather that is increasing the severity of hurricanes, wildfires, droughts and heat waves in various parts of the world. These devastating events will become commonplace as time goes on.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 has infected 45 million people in the U.S. and 720,000 have died. In Hawaii the numbers are 82,000 infections and 850 deaths. These high numbers have arisen despite vigorous efforts to control it.

In the past 18 months, everyone has been impacted for the worse by COVID-19. People worry, and that worry often turns into depression. In the long term, it looks like we are going to have to learn to live with COVID.

COVID-19 has drawn much more attention than climate change because human beings are hardwired emotionally to attend to immediate perceived threats. We all feel the threat of COVID-19 because it is in our communities. But the full effect of climate change is still to come, and it will be much more devastating.

Climate change is largely the result of burning fossil fuels, which puts greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and warms the planet. The climate disasters that are now occurring are the result of the global average temperature warming by only 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Two more degrees of warming — for a total of 3 degrees — would result in horrifying hurricanes, wildfires, droughts and heat waves, a drop in food production, famine, the creation of hundreds of millions of climate refugees, and the spread of illnesses and diseases.

Even if countries meet the commitments they made under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world is heading toward a warming of more than 3 degrees.

We need a drastic transition away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy. However, fossil fuel companies are fighting against that transition — and they are winning.

At the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s consumption of fossil fuel declined. But that was only temporary. Consumption has since risen to nearly pre-COVID-19 levels, and Hawaii mirrors the global pattern. Fortunately, Hawaii has not experienced the extreme effects of climate change. But because we lack that experience, we are too indifferent, and we have taken too little action. Moreover, COVID-19 fatigue has created a kind of paralysis.

This is where leadership is critical. Our leaders must be passionate and courageous enough to make the drastic changes needed to avoid devastating future scenarios. These leaders exist, but not in sufficient numbers.

What we do in the next decade to control climate change will determine how livable the Earth will be in the subsequent decades.

Will we succeed in forging a transformation to healthy communities that thrive in healthy natural environments? Or will we fail? Our children and their children will find out.

September 24, 2021 - Fee for climate change in House reconciliation

by Bobbie Best

I appreciated the Maui News article about the House Reconciliation Bill progress, which was detailed and revealing.

It included questions about how the costs could be paid for and answers. Another answer is that the war in Afghanistan will free us from that expense.

I know that the party line on the right is that we can’t afford these costs, but our citizens really will benefit in so many ways, it is exciting to contemplate.

I must add that the climate-change measures need to include a carbon fee, and a cash-back or dividend to households to pay for the increased costs of this fee. Sen. Brian Schatz has a bill that includes this. Rep. Kai Kahele has co-sponsored the similar Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, and it is hoped that Rep. Ed Case and Sen. Mazie Hirono will also get on board as well, since they are also concerned about the climate crisis and need to learn why a carbon fee is necessary and endorsed by so many economists.

September 5, 2021 - Climate change happening fast, 4 years to act

by Laurel Brier

The internationally accepted authority on the climate crisis is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC includes scientists from 195 countries who do a systematic review of all relevant published literature to provide a comprehensive update on climate change, its effects and potential strategies.

In August, the physical science working group of the IPCC released its report, the sixth assessment since 1988. It will help guide decisions and policies set at the next international Climate Summit to be held in November in Glasgow, Scotland.

The lengthy assessment of more than 14,000 peer-reviewed studies gives irrefutable evidence that climate change is happening now, human activities are the unequivocal cause, it’s happening faster than expected, we have only about four years to take significant action, and we still have a choice.

[…]

Presently, the single-most important opportunity the U.S. has for meaningful climate action is before our members of Congress in the form of the Reconciliation Bill.

It is the most-significant legislation in decades, and would help transition workers from fossil-fuel jobs to green jobs, develop green infrastructure and fight the climate crisis.

President Biden has also asked Congress to include the cancellation of fossil-fuel subsidies, about $15 billion annually, into the Reconciliation Bill. In addition to fighting the climate crisis, the reconciliation package invests in health care, elder care, child care, education, food security and infrastructure that the American public strongly supports. Now is the time for bold leadership, not “moderate” inaction.

More…

August 4, 2021 - Carbon pricing positive way to reduce greenhouse gases

by Jeff Stark

Back in the early days of the environment movement, we could hold a local chapter meeting of most organizations in a phone booth. Environmentalists were widely ridiculed as “tree huggers” and environmental initiatives were routinely ignored and allowed to quietly go away without any significant action.

That was then. This is now, and things have changed. Both the environmental community and the environmental condition have grown in size, scope and influence. Perhaps the best example is the environmental energy that is coalescing around the positive strategy known as “carbon pricing.”

Carbon pricing proposes to charge large industrial and institutional users of carbon-based fuels — gasoline, diesel, coal, oil, natural gas — which will go directly into a trust. Then, on a regular schedule, the funds generated by the fee will be distributed to every American with a Social Security number. Thus, the rise in prices for carbon-intensive products and services, which almost certainly will be added to the price of the affected products, will be lifted from the backs of consumers who will be made whole.

Other countries have already created their own versions, and more are in the process. Most environmental organizations and individuals are also in support.

Experts have endorsed the finding that adoption of the carbon pricing legislation now under consideration by the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives will result in a reduction in U.S. greenhouse gases of 40 percent in the first 12 years.

Go to www.cclhawaii.org published by Citizens Climate Lobby, a leader in the carbon pricing movement.

Jeff Stark - Kahului

August 3, 2021 - Hawaii Delegate Shows Climate Leadership On the Hill

by Paul Bernstein, Noel Morin, Molly Whiteley

Climate action advocates have much to celebrate with the news that U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele has co-sponsored H.R. 2307 — the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. His sponsorship will help pave the way for the passage of carbon pricing legislation in the U.S.

This bill puts in place a gradually increasing price on carbon, a dividend that will benefit U.S. households, and a carbon border adjustment to protect local industries from lower-cost, high-carbon products imported into the U.S. from countries without a carbon price.

The gradually increasing price will provide businesses with predictability around which they can plan. At the same time, the revenue will fund dividend payments to households to mitigate the expected cost increases for high-carbon products.

More…

July 23, 2021 - Doing nothing about climate change will cause more harm (West Hawaii Today)

by Susan Gorman-Chang Ewa Beach, Oahu

July 9, 2021 - Electric vehicles could significantly reduce CO2 emissions by 2050 (The Garden Isle)

Contributor: Noel Morin

Noel Morin, president of the Hawai‘i Electric Vehicle Association, said McKenzie’s findings confirm the merits of electric vehicles in helping the state reduce emissions and Hawai‘i’s fossil-fuel dependency and how their efficiency advantages will contribute to pocketbook savings for the community.

“We have a long way to go before we can fully decarbonize,” Morin said.

“I think the progress towards electrification of transportation will continue to accelerate as a result of several converging factors — increasing affordability of long-range EVs; automakers announcing plans to stop the production of gas vehicles and introducing electric trucks and vans; and the passage of laws encouraging adoption of EVs and expansion of public charging infrastructure.”

Morin concluded, “Of course, the challenge is that we must target decarbonization of our energy and transportation much sooner than 2050. The consequences of global warming are with us today, and are becoming increasingly disastrous and deadly,” he said. “We must act with urgency.”

View full article here.

April 6,  2021 - Citizens Climate Lobby goals endorsed by Biden (The Maui News)

by Jeff Stark,  CCL HI Maui

MAY 8, 2021

I was delighted this week to see that President Biden has decided to join us in our pledge to reach a 30 percent reduction in global greenhouse gases by 2030.

This action puts the U.S. firmly in its once-abandoned leadership position in the global fight to beat the most serious threat our species has ever faced.

The president has put the power and knowledge of the nearly 200,000 volunteer members of the Citizens Climate Lobby on everyone’s side. This powerhouse organization supports the recently reintroduced Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA; H.R. 2307) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Should the House act quickly on this bill, we will have the ability to continue our lobbying activities and make several giant steps toward our global goal. This goal has enlisted millions of legislators, academics and political leaders at the local, national and worldwide leadership level.

If passed in its current configuration, EICDA will not achieve net-zero emissions, but will put us on the path, and it, with other policies, can get us to net-zero. The result? No more carbon-induced global climate change.

We don’t call it Citizens Climate Lobby for nothing. By uniting, rising and educating we can all be a part of the most ambitious citizen action of our lifetimes.

Join today! Go to citizensclimatelobby@bestofmaui.com or call 283-8167.

Jeff Stark - Kahului

April 23, 2021- Community Voice - Climate Change Is More Devastating Than Ever

Among the numerous tools needed to bring down emissions, a robust price on carbon is the most effective and foundational. (Civil Beat)

by Robert Pearsall - CCL HI Honolulu, Mark Reynolds - CCL Executive Director

 The amount of heat-trapping emissions that humans have spewed into our atmosphere since last Earth Day was 10% less than in a typical year, which would be a cause for celebration if not for one salient fact: The reduction in carbon pollution will be short lived as the global economy rebounds from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though emissions were briefly down, the impact of climate change in 2020 was more devastating than ever. The Atlantic hurricane season broke records for the number of named storms with 30, so many that the World Meteorological Organization ran out of names and had to use the Greek alphabet. AccuWeather estimates the economic fallout from these storms to be between $60 and $65 billion.

Hawaii’s economy continues to suffer more than most with our massive reduction in tourism, which was needed to manage the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2020 storm season also saw the rise of another troubling phenomenon associated with climate change — rapid intensification of storms, which can leave coastal communities in the path of deadly hurricanes with little time to evacuate. Rapid intensification is caused by increasingly warmer ocean temperatures.

While hurricanes wreaked havoc in the East, wildfires raged in the West, where dry conditions and record temperatures contributed to one of the worst fire seasons: U.S. wildfires burned a total of 10.27 million acres in 2020, killed at least 43 people and caused damages reaching $16.5 billion.

The human and monetary toll is considerably higher when the health impact of smoke-filled skies is considered. A study looking at the 2018 wildfire season in California found that when the indirect impact of smoke is considered — hospitalizations, lost wages, etc. — the economic damage was $150 billion.

Winter provides no respite from the impact of climate change. The rapid warming of the Arctic, scientists say, played a role in weakening the jet stream that contains the polar vortex. This weakening allowed sub-freezing temperatures to reach all the way to the Gulf coast of Texas earlier this year, knocking out electricity and heat to millions.

We are feeling the impacts of climate change here in Hawaii, and the coronavirus pandemic has given us a preview of what will occur if we do not make climate action a top policy priority. The prolonged economic downturn caused by the pandemic has led to massive lost business and tax and state revenues, which is exactly what will happen time and again if Hawaii experiences more frequent extended weather events such as flooding or drought, in addition to the obvious perils of sea level rise.

Our earth is changing as it grows warmer, and more and more of us across the globe are feeling the impact of that change: storms, fires, droughts, floods, extreme temperature changes and all that comes with them.

The state’s annual revenues are down roughly $300 million due primarily to the drop in tourism, which accounts for more than 30% of Hawaii’s gross domestic product. With such a prolonged and precipitous drop, the state’s general fund coffers will feel the pinch for several years, as will our local businesses and workers. And while the impacts on services have been felt across all communities, those of the underserved and lower incomes have been particularly hard hit.

Expect more of these adverse economic outcomes if we fail to make climate change mitigation a priority at both the state and federal level. It is not overstatement to say the threat to Hawaii is existential. We must act with urgency and with smarts driven by data and science.

The frequency of disasters afflicting nearly every part of the country will continue to rise with temperatures. Unless ambitious steps are taken to curtail the emissions of warming gases, these catastrophes will outpace our ability to adapt and recover.

Among the numerous tools needed to bring down emissions, a robust price on carbon is the most effective and foundational. The key is to set a price high enough to move investments and behavior toward a rapid transition to a clean energy economy. By returning revenue directly to households, thereby protecting Americans from the economic impact of higher energy costs, we can establish a price that gets the job done.

The end game is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Only then will we be able to imagine a world where each Earth Day doesn’t mark a year of worsening climate impacts.

A recent study by Columbia University economists estimated the level and timing of a carbon price to meet that goal. The price would need to reach between $34 and $64 per metric ton of CO2 emissions by 2025 and between $77 and $124 by 2030.

Several bills that employ the fee-and-dividend approach to carbon pricing fall within the range needed to achieve the needed emissions reductions:

●       The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act in the House, sponsored by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL-22)

●       The America’s Clean Future Fund Act in the Senate, sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)

●       The American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), expected to be introduced soon.

By cosponsoring these bills, U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono and Reps. Ed Case and Kai Kahele can help to ensure that Congress implements this critical tool this year.

Half a century ago, the first Earth Day kicked off a movement that led to cleaner air and water for all Americans. This year’s Earth Day comes at a time when more and more Americans have personally felt the impacts of climate change. It is time for Congress to act, and an ambitious price on carbon is a big step in the right direction.

April 15, 2021 - Resolve to decarbonize Hawaii’s economy (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

by Virginia Tincher - CCL HI Honolulu

Hawaii has two critical imperatives: reduce carbon emissions and become more self-sustaining. State Senate Concurrent Resolution 44 establishes clear goals to move Hawaii toward a climatesafe state with “a statewide commitment to a just transition toward a decarbonized economy.”

That commitment also means that Hawaii will increase its energy production from local sources, thus lessening its dependence on imported fossil energy.

It’s a win-win. I urge our representatives to pass SCR 44, “Declaring a climate emergency and requesting statewide collaboration toward an immediate just transition and emergency mobilization effort to restore a safe climate.”

Virginia Tincher - Aina Haina

April 13, 2021 -  The Time For Climate Action Is Now Congress should pass the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (Civil Beat)

by Noel Morin - CCL HI Hawaii Island, Paul Bernstein - CCL HI Honolulu, John Kawamoto - Faith Action for Community Equity

We are witnessing and experiencing the signs and symptoms of the climate crisis. Global-warming emissions continue to rise, and the ever-escalating consequences of this crisis affect our daily lives with stronger storms, rain bombs, floods, coastal erosion, degraded marine ecosystems, wildfires and droughts.Their effects may be less noticeable but are just as devastating, for example, species threatened by habitat destruction and the spread of vectors; island nations threatened by rising seas; climate-related mass migration of people and increased geopolitical conflict from resource competition and migration.

The growing list of environmental, social and economic consequences demands that we act with the urgency of an emergency.

While there are many solutions to the crisis, we need to focus on ones that will have an immediate and significant impact. A price on carbon is one such solution. Its ability to dramatically and quickly reduce emissions is recognized by many economists, institutions and governments.

Its ability to be implemented immediately without facing court challenges is a critical advantage over regulatory policies.

The international community has long supported a price on carbon. Eight of the top 10 global economies already do so; the United States and India still have not. Notably, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls out carbon pricing as a “necessary condition of ambitious climate policies.”

Across our nation, there is strong and broad support for carbon pricing. Supporters include former Federal Reserve chairs, Nobel Laureate economists, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the Electric Power Supply Association, the American Petroleum Institute, major faith organizations, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Environmental Defense FundCory Lum/Civil Beat

Locally, awareness and support for carbon pricing are growing. The recently published UHERO carbon pricing study concluded that a carbon fee and dividend policy is progressive, effective at reducing emissions and equitable.

H.R. 2307 Is The NOW!

On Apr. 1, 2021, H.R. 2307 (Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act) was reintroduced in the U.S. Congress by Florida Rep. Ted Deutch and 28 original co-sponsors (there are now 35).

This bill calls for a meaningful and steadily increasing price on carbon and a monthly “carbon cash back” payment to people. This payment helps offset the price increase in fossil energy and, on average, leaves the lower 60% of households financially better off.

Consumers can also shift to lower carbon products and activities. In addition, the rising price on carbon will incentivize companies to invest in less carbon-intensive processes, switch to renewable energy and ultimately find energy solutions that will reduce the carbon intensity of their products and services.

This policy’s net impact will be a dramatic transformation to a clean energy economy in which we will reduce our nation’s carbon emissions by 30% in the first five years and be on a path toward Net Zero by 2050.

It will also save lives by reducing the pollution in the air that we breathe. This policy benefits our people, the environment and the economy. We urge our leaders to support carbon fee and dividend legislation. It represents the “biggest fire hose” in our fight to put out the fire.

Learn more about H.R.2307 and what you can do to encourage passage of the bill at citizensclimatelobby.org.

April 9, 2021 - Price carbon pollution, pay people, save environment (The Garden Island)

by Helen Cox, CCL Kauai

Concerned about the climate crisis but wondering what can make a difference?

Putting a price on carbon at its source is one important tool. Simply put, a carbon fee and dividend means that carbon emissions are taxed at their origins, for example,a mining operation or oil extraction, and the money collected is given back to the people.

Support for carbon pricing is growing — it’s now backed by Business Roundtable, Electric Power Supply Association and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering. They follow Federal Reserve chairs, Nobel Laureate economists and prominent organizations and individuals across the nation. Under pressure, even the American Petroleum Institute and U.S. Chamber of Commerce have come on board.

The top 10 economies, except India and U.S., now price carbon. Importantly, the EU has discussed installing a border tax on goods from countries without a carbon price.

In Hawai‘i, there were four carbon- pricing bills this session (versus one last year), and while they failed to proceed this year, support is increasing. Notably, a recent University of Hawai‘ i Economic Research Organization study found a carbon fee and dividend policy to be progressive and beneficial to the lower 60% of households.

Carbon pricing will dramatically reduce emissions, save lives and enable a sustainable economy. It’s an essential tool in our climate-action quiver. When coupled with a dividend, it allows households to accommodate the expected rise in fossil fuel costs.

Citizens’ Climate Lobby, with its 190,000 members, supports carbon pricing and dividend legislation like the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. This policy can be implemented quickly, and represents a cost-efficient, effective and fair solution. Every household will get a check to cover increased costs. They can also increase their energy efficiency and save extra money. Under this policy, lower-income families will benefit the most, since they use less energy.

This bill just has been reintroduced by Ted Deutch of Florida, and we should urge our representatives, Kai Kahele and Ed Case, to co-sponsor it. There were 86 co-sponsors in the last congress, and there should be even more support for the current one.

You can learn more about carbon pricing and Citizens’ Climate Lobby by attending the upcoming forum sponsored by Kaua‘i Climate Action Coalition, Surfrider and Zero Waste Kauai. “Climate Crisis: Carbon Pricing, A Socially Just Solution,” will be presented by a former Kaua‘i resident and current co-lead of the Hawai‘i Island Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby via Zoom on Wednesday, April 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. To register, go to bit.ly/ kauaicarbonpricingforum.

To learn more about CCL and to urge our members of congress to act, visit cclusa.org. There’s never been a better time to be a citizen environmental activist.

Helen A. Cox is the chair of the Kaua‘i Climate Action Coalition and co-leads the Kaua‘i Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby.

Helen A. Cox

April 6,  2021 - Carbon pricing to reduce air pollution and save lives (The Maui News)

by Bill and Bobbie Best, CCL HI Maui

A federal price on emissions is now officially backed by the American Petroleum Industry (The Maui News, March 26.)

Eight of the 10 biggest world economies are pricing carbon except India and the U.S. (The E.U. wants to pressure its trading partners to comply with the policy.) Governor Ige has come out in favor also.

The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization found that GDP will be favorably affected.

Carbon pricing will reduce air pollution and so save lives. But prices for energy and food will rise. This is why Citizens Climate Lobby proposes a dividend to households to compensate for this rise.

The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA) can be implemented in less than a year once passed and is the most cost-efficient bill and the fairest. Every household will get a check from the IRS to spend as they wish rather than the carbon fee going into government projects.

The lowest-income families will benefit the most since they use less energy. Rep. Ted Deutch has reintroduced the bill as H.R. 2307 with 28 co-sponsors this year. We hope that our representatives Kahele and Case co-sponsor.

While this is not the only solution to the climate crisis, it is a necessary one. To learn more about EICDA, see www.cclusa.org and click “Take Action.” There’s never been a better time to be a citizen environmental activist.

Bill and Bobbie Best - Wailuku

April 4, 2021 - New study adds fuel for isle fee to curb emissions (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

by Susan Gorman-Chang, Noel Morin and Matthew Geyer

The state Legislature appropriated $150,000 two years ago for “a study of carbon pricing, including whether and how a carbon pricing policy shall be implemented in Hawaii” (Act 122, SLH 2019). The study was released recently, and it examines different options for placing a tax on fossil fuels to reduce consumption. It also examines different options for using the tax revenue, including returning it to people in equal shares.

The following quotes are excerpts of the study:

 >> “A carbon tax puts an explicit price on GHG {greenhouse gas) emissions and many prior studies have found it to be the lowest-cost way to reduce GHGs.”

>> “The price increase encourages industry and consumers to shift toward activities that result in fewer GHGs. Having an economy wide approach, rather than a set of sector-by-sector policies, lowers the cost of reducing GHGs because it captures a range of GHG reduction opportunities while harmonizing sectoral interactions.”

>> “Returning the revenues to households has been shown in numerous studies to make taxing carbon a more progressive policy. This means it provides more than proportional benefits to lower-income households.

Making the policy progressive can be done through dividend payments of equal shares across households or payments more specifically targeting lower income households.”

Among other things, the study examines a pricing scenario applied to all fossil fuels that would increase gasoline prices by 50 cents per gallon in 2025 and 60 cents per gallon in 2045.

Electricity prices would not increase.

The study shows that this pricing scenario would be effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with a finding that “In the year 2045, emissions are 13% below 2045 baseline levels and 40% below 2019 levels.” Furthermore, the economy would not be harmed, as there would be only “small impacts on Hawai‘ i’s overall economy.”

If revenues are returned to households under this pricing scenario, each household would receive about $1,000 annually. For low-income households, after subtracting increased spending due to carbon pricing, “the lowest-income household by quintile sees a $900 and $700 gain in spending power in 2025 and 2045, respectively.”

The model of pricing carbon and returning all the revenue to people in equal shares is known as carbon fee and dividend. This model is supported by more than 3,500 U.S. economists, 28 Nobel Laureate economists, and four former chairs of the Federal Reserve.

It is not just theory because dozens of countries have adopted some form of carbon fee and dividend.

The U.S. Congress is considering the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act for a national program, but Hawaii could be the first state to adopt the idea. Several bills were introduced in the Hawaii Legislature that would have put a price on carbon, with various arrangements for returning money to people.

Unfortunately, all of these bills died before the recent study was released.

The Legislature should consider a carbon fee and dividend bill in the 2022 session because it would substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and would work in conjunction with all other efforts to control climate change while also financially protecting low-income households.

April 2, 2021 - Support for carbon tax (Hawaii Tribune-Herald)

by Merle Hawyard, CCL HI Hawaii Island 

 This is in support of Noel Morin’s March 31 letter (Tribune-Herald, Your Views) on carbon pricing to help reverse the climate crisis.

 As a member of Hawaii Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, I have been observing the increasing dangerous global weather patterns and realize that if we don’t act very soon, many of us will be affected by damage to local infrastructure, to the food supply, drinking water, our houses, and many may become migrants as vulnerable land is affected.

If Hawaii’s Legislature does not pass a carbon tax on fossil fuels, Congress can enact into law the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which will cover all fossil fuels in the United States.

This legislation in the House of Representatives would apply an annually increasing fee on fossil fuel producers based on the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide each type of fuel releases when utilized. The raw fuels would be weighed in at processing plants, and scientists can calculate the tons of carbon dioxide that would be released for each batch, determine the carbon fee, and bill the fuel producers.

The collected fee would be shared with each U.S. household in order to offset the predicted increase in fuel prices. This would create a market-based solution which would create millions of jobs as investors would turn to clean energy technology, and push fossil fuel producers to research cleaner fuel options or switch to clean technology.

If enacted, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act would be the perfect umbrella policy to support all U.S. climate change infrastructure projects because it would speed up the switch away from fossil fuels and quickly reduce the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to pre-industrial levels, and slow down the climate crisis havoc now occurring around Earth.

Merle Hayward - Hilo

March 31, 2021 -  Carbon pricing (Hawaii Tribune-Herald)

by Noel Morin, CCL HI Hawaii Island  (This LTE also received the CCL LTE of the week.)

 Support for carbon pricing is growing. It’s now backed by the Electric Power Supply Association, American Petroleum Institute, Business Roundtable, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. They follow Federal Reserve chairs, Nobel laureate economists and prominent organizations and individuals throughout the nation. 

The top 10 economies, except India and U.S., now price carbon. Importantly, the European Union has discussed installing a border tax on goods from countries without a carbon price.

In Hawaii, there were four carbon-pricing bills this legislative session (versus one last year), and while they failed to proceed this year, support is increasing.

Notably, a recent University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization study found a carbon fee and dividend policy to be progressive and beneficial to the lower 60% of households.

Carbon pricing will dramatically reduce emissions, save lives and enable a sustainable economy. It’s an essential tool in our climate action quiver. When coupled with a dividend, it allows households to accommodate the expected rise in fossil fuel costs.

Citizens’ Climate Lobby supports carbon pricing and dividend legislation such as the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. This policy can be implemented quickly and represents a cost-efficient, effective and fair solution.

Every household will get a check to cover increased costs; they can also increase their energy efficiency and save extra money. Under this policy, lower-income families will benefit the most since they use less energy.

We expect this bill to be reintroduced soon by Ted Deutch of Florida and urge Hawaii Reps. Kai Kahele and Ed Case to co-sponsor it. There were 86 co-sponsors in the last Congress, and we hope for even more support in the current one.

To learn more and to urge our members of Congress to act, visit cclusa.org.

Noel Morin - Hilo

March 19, 2021 - Leaders must be proactive on climate change (The Maui News)

by Bobbie Best, CCL HI Maui 

Climate change effects are everywhere. We need look no further than our island home.Hurricanes are becoming more severe, as are storms and floods. Erosion from rising sea levels is worse on Maui than on other islands. We are told that we can expect more of the above.

Luckily, our leaders like U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele and U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz are proactive on climate change. If citizens want to get more involved in Hawaii, it’s easy to submit testimony on pending bills in the State Legislature at capitol.hawaii.gov.

SCR44 and SR30 are being considered in the Hawaii State Legislature, “declaring a climate emergency and requesting statewide collaboration toward an immediate just transition and emergency mobilization effort to restore a safe climate.”

I was alerted to these resolutions because I am a member of Citizens ClimateLobby.org, which I recommend, as one may be as involved as one wants without pressure.

It promotes a carbon fee, which will help to lower fossil fuel emissions, plus a direct dividend to citizens to cover costs of rising fuel costs, especially for the poorest among us.

This is part of a solution to the climate crisis, but action is necessary now.

Please consider joining if only to let your representatives know (under “Take Action” on their site) that this type of legislation must happen while so many people are now convinced that it’s time to act while we can. Call me if you want more information, as I’m in the phone book.

 Bobbie Best - Wailuku

February 8, 2021 - Support efforts toward ending carbon pollution (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

by Virginia Tincher, CCL HI Honolulu 

Seth Borenstein’s article on how President Joe Biden’s bold climate plan will transform America captures the essence of this opportunity (“Bold climate plan will change U.S. in big, small ways,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 31).

The executive actions will give Hawaii’s state and local efforts a boost. Establishment of a White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy and the National Climate Task Force supports initiatives Hawaii has been working on for years — lowering emissions, resiliency, adaption, CO2 removal, national security and equity.

In 2018, Hawaii was the first state to set a carbon-neutral goal of 2045. Biden has set a goal of a carbon pollution- free power sector for 2035 and a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.

2021 is a year of bold climate actions. Support our representatives who have previously sponsored and co-sponsored climate bills — U.S. Rep. Ed Case and U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz — as they reintroduce bills and support new bills. U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele has the opportunity to join them in their efforts.

Virginia Tincher - Aina Haina

January 29, 2021 -  Defenders of democracy (Hawaii Tribune-Herald)

by Noel Morin, CCL HI Hawaii Island

On Jan. 6, we watched in horror and disbelief as insurgents and terrorists attacked our government.

We also held witness to the many good people who selflessly and courageously acted — the fearless aides who carried the ballot boxes to safety, the policeman who directed rioters away from the Senate chamber, the journalists who bravely documented the truth and the members of Congress who persisted and completed the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

These individuals risked life and limb while defending our democracy.

We know many of these individuals. Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s more than 180,000 volunteers in 50 states, including 800 throughout Hawaii, advocate for meaningful and durable climate policy. We work with members of Congress and their staff throughout the year and know them well. They are our colleagues and friends, so we are thankful to all those who kept them out of harm’s way.

Let’s take a moment to convey thanks to the countless government employees and congressional staffers who toil to secure our democracy. They deserve the “thank you for your service” that we freely extol to our armed forces members.

 Noel Morin - Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Hawaii Island Chapter

January 12th, 2021 - Thanks to the heroes of Washington attack (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

by Paul Bernstein, Chapter Lead CCL HI Honolulu and Jeff Start, CCL HI Maui

We watched in horror as Donald Trump-incited seditionists attacked our government. Seeing photos of workers carrying the ballots to safety and security forces protecting our members of Congress reminded many of us that there were real people under attack. They are thousands of faceless government employees — experts, facilitators, staffers, many others, all of them our neighbors — put in mortal danger because of their devotion to the common good of defending the Constitution and upholding democracy.

At Citizens’ Climate Lobby, we work with congressional staffers so we are endlessly grateful to the brave individuals who protected our colleagues. We are also grateful to the staffers and all government employees who work to ensure our democracy.

Many of us are in the habit of telling members of our armed forces, “Thank you for your service.” Let’s broaden that circle to the staff members who work in the offices of our government. They deserve it!

 Paul Bernstein - Honolulu chapter leader, Citizens’ Climate Lobby

January 7, 2021 - Support EICDA (Hawaii Tribune-Herald)

by Ron Reilly, Chapter Lead, CCL HI Hawaii Island

 As if COVID-19 and its economic disruptions were not enough, “Nature is sending us a message” (Tribune-Herald, Dec. 28).

This article catalogs “the stormy, fiery year when climate disasters wouldn’t stop.” A sad fact is that climate disasters have their greatest impact on vulnerable and low-income populations.

 Fortunately, Hawaii is one of three states, along with Alaska and North Dakota, that escaped a billion-dollar weather disaster in 2020. This could result in complacency, but good luck for a single year is no guarantee of future good fortune. Our turn will surely come.

The parallels between the global response to the pandemic and to the climate crisis show that there is no vaccine for denial, and that individual actions, while important, are woefully insufficient when we are faced with a global crisis.

There is good news. President-elect Joe Biden pledged to rejoin the Paris climate agreement. Hawaii has a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emission to net zero by 2045.

The City and County of Honolulu just released its first Climate Action Plan with strategies to reduce Oahu’s greenhouse gas emission 44% by 2025. And the Hawaii County Council declared a climate emergency.

Nationally, carbon pollution pricing is supported overwhelmingly by leading economists, and is seen as the single most effective way to reduce carbon emissions. However, low-income households must be protected from regressive carbon taxation.

To be popular and long-lasting, carbon pricing must be bipartisan and combined with broad financial support for the most vulnerable. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act does this by combining a national carbon fee with monthly carbon-cash-back checks for all U.S. residents.

The fee-and-dividend concept helps vulnerable low- and middle-income families as we transition to a sustainable low-carbon future. To support the EICDA, please visit Citizens’ Climate Lobby at cclusa/org.

Ron Reilly - Volcano

CCL Hawaii media contributions in 2020.