Of Tropical Paradises and Sustainable Futures

Hawaii's six main islands are quickly becoming a green laboratory for the rest of America and perhaps the world. With a startlingly diverse array of energy experiments and projects underway, Hawaii is well on its way to establishing a renewable energy future and reduce its dependance on fossil fuels. Each islands has its own renewable energy accent: waves in Maui, wind in Lanai and Molokai, solar panels in Oahu and eventually crops grown from biomass energy in Kauai.

Hawaii needs renewable energy to reduce the cost of energy to its citizens, avoid the negative economic effects of volatile oil prices, reduce its overdependence on oil, and increase its energy security by reducing imports from overseas. Renewable energy can grow new industries in Hawaii, provide jobs and income for its citizens, and protect its environment, which is also the basis of its economy. Hawaii’s citizens pay the nation’s highest energy costs. This is in part due to the fact that Hawaii is the most oil-dependent of the 50 states. The Hawaiian Islands have no fossil fuel resources and do not import natural gas.

Given its location in pacific, its tropical climate and the fact that it benefits from a large variety of natural resources favourable to the production and widespread use of renewable energy (waves, wind, sun and biomass), Hawaii is a perfect place to implement renewable energy models. Moreover, its climate being similar to that of other developing nations, the significance of these experiments to the wider world is quite important. Successful models can be mainstreamed, and implemented elsewhere and thereby contribute to one of the most problematic points in the Copenhagen agenda: reducing fossil fuel dependency and carbon emissions in the developing world.

However, about three decades ago a similar renewable energy plan was formulated by the Hawaiin govermnent, that never saw light of day. Hopefully, thirty years on the pressing need to combat climate change is greater than political complacency.