Social Engineering: Caldwell Plans to Ban Cars and Buses from Waikiki

PBN Nov 5, 2018 … Honolulu's plans include opening the first 11 miles of its beleaguered rail project; increasing the number of carbon-free travel choices such as bikeshare, electric scooters, electric buses and rail; and analyzing the feasibility of a Go Zone for Waikiki to decrease noise and pollution from fossil fuel transportation….

read … Honolulu selected for national climate change challenge

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City Council Considering Zero-Emission Action by 2025

Resolution could "explore the potential for a major area of Honolulu to be zero emission by 2030"

News Release Nov 26, 2018 from 350Hawaii.org

HONOLULU–November 28, 2018–The Honolulu City Council will consider a resolution Wednesday that includes several major actions to fight climate change within the next seven to twelve years, far ahead of the State's goals.

The Public Works, Infrastructure & Sustainability Committee will publicly discuss its Draft 1 of Resolution 18-221 [1] in the City Council Committee Meeting Room, on the 2nd floor of Honolulu Hale, at 1:00 pm [2]. The amendment would resolve to "procure only zero emission buses after 2025 ... explore the potential for a major area of Honolulu to be zero emission by 2030 ... [and] procure zero emission vehicles for our City fleet as quickly as possible."

Grassroots group 350Hawaii.org has proposed its own amendment as part of public testimony on the resolution, calling for all of Honolulu County to actively oppose all new fossil fuel infrastructure, and commit to 100% clean renewable energy, including ground transportation fuel, by 2030 [3].

The State currently has a target date of 2045 to use 100% clean energy for electricity, excepting natural gas. Mayors in all four counties have committed to 100% clean ground transportation by 2045, and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell has committed to a 100% renewable energy-powered City fleet by 2035.

The Council resolution and amendment closely follow dire climate change warnings from state, national and international organizations.

350Hawaii's Brodie Lockard asserted that the havoc climate change is already wreaking is obvious, but it's not too late to limit future damage if government at all levels acts immediately.

"Ordinary citizens can't fix this alone," said Lockard. "The drastic, widespread response we need to counter climate change must come from our elected leaders. The rest of us can only pressure them to pass laws and ordinances. There are plenty of examples Honolulu and the State can emulate to save energy and money, while reducing the emissions that cause climate change."

Recently, several major climate change reports have called for "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society"; found that global warming “is transforming where and how we live and presents growing challenges to human health and quality of life, the economy, and the natural systems that support us”; and warned that “to avoid substantial damages to the U.S. economy, environment, and human health and well-being over the coming decades,” humans must act aggressively to adapt to current impacts and mitigate future catastrophes [4, 5].

April's Elemental Excelerator assessment, and October's reports from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and UH/DLNR were capped by Friday's National Climate Assessment from 13 federal agencies, all urging immediate action at every level of government or emphasizing a catastrophic future if action is delayed [4, 5, 6, 7].

The warnings came as California's deadliest fire season ever also set records for most destructive wildfire season in California, the largest complex fire in the state's history, and California's single-largest recorded wildfire. This year 7,579 fires have burned an area of 1,667,855 acres, and killed 82 civilians and 6 firefighters [8].

The reports also foretell increasingly debilitating hurricanes and heat waves in the United States, and the danger of more such catastrophes worsening.

The IPCC report says the planet will reach the crucial threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels as early as 2030, precipitating the risk of extreme drought, wildfires, floods and food shortages for hundreds of millions of people [4].

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IM: Honolulu Council to Hear Climate Change Resolution

Footnotes:

[1] http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-211819/R+18-221,+CD+OCS+1102.pdf

[2] http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-211846/112818+Committee+on+Public+Works,+Infrastructure+and+Sustainability+Agenda.pdf

[3] https://350hawaii.org/?p=521

[4] https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/07/world/climate-change-new-ipcc-report-wxc/index.html

[5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/energy-environment/2018/11/23/major-trump-administration-climate-report-says-damages-are-intensifying-across-country

[6] https://rhg.com/research/transcending-oil-hawaiis-path-to-a-clean-energy-economy/

[7] http://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/10/02/hawaii-news/new-study-doubles-estimates-of-land-vulnerable-to-sea-level-rise/  

[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_California_wildfires