The Hawaii Department of Transport has agreed stringent conditions for emission-reduction with a group of 13 teenagers
Hawaii’s Department of Transport (DoT) has reached a settlement with 13 teenagers who alleged it was violating the state constitution by operating a transportation system that harms the environment and infringes their right to a pollution-free environment.
Under the settlement, the Hawaii DoT will adopt a plan to hit net-zero emissions by 2045 for ground, air and marine transportation. Emissions targets are set for five-year intervals.
The DoT has promised to take “any actions necessary” to meet the emissions targets, including creating a volunteer youth council to advise the department and the establishment of a special unit under the direction of a “Climate Change Mitigation and Culture Manager.”
The settlement agreement also includes a pledge for immediate investment in “clean” transportation. New pedestrian, bicycle and transport networks will need to be completed within five years, and $40 million will be spent to expand the electric-vehicle charging network.
The 13 youths alleged that their constitutional right to a “clean and healthful environment” had been violated after the Hawaiian state legislature declared that “an existential climate emergency threatens humanity and the natural world.”
They were represented in their suit by two non-profit law firms, Earthjustice and Our Children’s Trust.
“We got what we came for, and we got it faster than expected,” said one of the plaintiffs, in a press release.
In a statement commenting on the settlement, director of the DoT Ed Sniffen said, “Climate change is indisputable.”
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