Hawaiʻi will create a comprehensive roadmap to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its transportation sector in order to settle a lawsuit brought by a group of young plaintiffs demanding more action on climate change.
In the lawsuit, Navahine F. v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, the young plaintiffs argued that state transportation policies promoted the continued use of fossil fuels, violating their right to a “clean and healthful environment,” which is protected under the state constitution.
Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green announced the settlement Thursday, thanking the plaintiffs, who were between 9-18 years old when the case was filed in 2022, for taking action.
“You have a constitutional right to fight for life sustaining climate policy, and you have mobilized our people,” Green said.
Michael Gerrard, director of Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, called the settlement “extraordinary,” noting that it was the first youth-led climate case in the nation in which the plaintiffs and the defendants had reached an agreement.“This is an outstanding climate win,” Gerrard said.
Last August, a court in the US state of Montana ruled in favor of a group of youths who accused the state of violating their rights to a clean environment.
But another high profile lawsuit brought by a group of California children who claimed the US federal government was harming them by failing to clamp down on pollution was tossed out by a judge in May this year.
