The last seven years were the warmest on record. The climate crisis is moving full speed ahead. The future for our grandchildren and great grandchildren is looking pretty grim.
Our economy and lifestyle, here in Hawaii, is based on visitors coming here on airplanes. Of course, the Oahu economy also relies heavily on the military-industrial complex. (The U.S. military is the largest greenhouse gas polluting organization in the world.)
Airline pollution is the No. 1 cause of greenhouse gas emissions in the state of Hawaii. Our state government pretends that this is not their problem. State climate goals don’t include the airline industry. There is lots of hand-wringing about sustainable farming, electric vehicles and clean, renewable electricity production, but no politician wants to challenge the airline industry, which produces more than half the greenhouse gas pollution in the state.
The average distance traveled round trip by a visitor to Hawaii is 7,000 miles. With 10 million total visitors in 2019, this represents 70 billion passenger miles traveled visiting here. With 1.8 tons emissions per traveler, those 10 million visitors determine 18 million tons of emissions.
In contrast, the emissions from all of Hawaii’s stationary combustion (electricity power plants, petroleum refineries, etc.) was 7.8 million tons, and all ground transportation CO2(e) was 4 million tons. Air travel of visitors dwarfs all other factors of Hawaii’s contribution to global warming.
The airlines have made ridiculous pledges to be “carbon neutral thirty years from now.” That’s not unlike your alcoholic uncle telling you he will quit drinking by 2050. Something must be done now, and it should have been done 30 years ago. There are companies that have already developed electric airplanes for inner island travel. Airbus is developing hydrogen jet fuel planes that could fly across the ocean. Meanwhile, thousands of tons of greenhouse gas are produced every day.
The airlines can do something to mitigate their pollution today: Offset their carbon dioxide pollution by replanting Hawaii’s native forests. Will that solve the problem with so-called “carbon offsets?” No. The industry needs to stop burning fossil fuels. The greenhouse gas produced today, carbon dioxide, will stay in the atmosphere for many decades. It takes years for a forest to capture the carbon dioxide in adequate amounts.
The most important thing we can do right now is to help protect Hawaii’s existing forests. The state Division of Forestry and Wildlife is doing their best to build fences that keep forest-destroying hoofed animals out of the forest: pigs, deer, goats and cattle. These “ungulate fences” go a long way in keeping our forests healthy.
More importantly, the Department of Land and Natural Resources controls 40% of the land in Hawaii, but has only 3% of the budget. It is time for the airline industry to help pay for the climate damage that they do. Reforestation would help immensely.
Native forests have a great many benefits to our islands besides carbon capture. They increase habitat of our endangered species, they prevent downstream flooding, they conserve water, and they cool the air.
Our previous governor promised us a “million tree initiative.” Where are the million trees? Our new governor has advocated for a “green fee” for arriving visitors. This is a tax that could help fund the Division of Wildlife and Forestry. Even better, the companies themselves could set up nonprofit organizations that fund reforestation.
Let’s call on the airlines to pay for the costs of their pollution by doing something good for Hawaii. It is for our grandchildren.
Gordon LaBedz is chair of the Surfridder Foundation on Kauai.