Hawaiʻi pushes for a greener constitution
Updated: Feb. 20, 2024, 2:31 p.m.|
Published: Feb. 20, 2024, 2:19 p.m.
double rainbow at tunnels beach in kauai, hawaiiGetty Images
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I skulked into a restaurant around 8 p.m. to get myself a power bowl with chicken, lentils and kale. That’s food for people who are feigning vitality. I took it back to my office, where I made the mistake of looking at Mark Zuckerberg’s trauma memory machine, Facebook. It decided to serenade me with a montage of my exes through years of Valentine’s Days, like some kind of online torture chamber where, in addition to being reminded of how lousy I am at dating, I also got to see how much hair I used to have.
Fortunately for me, there’s still plenty of love and joy to be found in our environment, and I appreciate those doing incredible things to preserve it.
This week on The Meltdown, we spotlight Hawaii’s significant efforts to amend its constitution to include environmental rights for all. We delve into how its unique culture can foster a deeper love and appreciation for the environment. Lastly, we explore the human tendency to procrastinate until the eleventh hour, something I excel at.
Before you read on, please feel free to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. And share this newsletter with your friends if you think they’ll enjoy it.
Last week, the Hawaii Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment unanimously voted to advance a bill including individual environmental rights in the state’s constitution. The proposed change, known as the Hawaii Green Amendment, seeks to ensure individuals, including future generations, the right to clean water, air, a healthful environment, climate, native ecosystems, and beaches.
If enacted, it would position Hawaii as the fourth state to guarantee these rights, joining the ranks of Pennsylvania, Montana, and New York.
“Our environment is part of who we are here in Hawaii. It nurtures every part of us–our health, the joy we feel in nature, at the beach, or hiking in the mountains. Hawaii’s environment is fundamental to a healthy economy and stable workforce,” said lead sponsor Senator Mike Gabbard(D-21). “Sadly, the Maui wildfires and Red Hill fuel leaks brought home the fact that when we damage our environment, we damage the people. Likewise, when we nurture our environment, we nurture the people.”
Nine other states have proposed legislation to let voters decide in this year’s election whether they want these Green Amendment protections included in their state constitutions. New Jersey, Hawaii, and Washington are the closest to making the change.
Montana’s environmental protections in its constitution were the springboard that allowed a group of 16 children to successfully sue the state for favoring the fossil fuel industry over their constitutionally protected rights to a clean environment. I guess the kids are alright.
