SR 92: Declaring a public health emergency relating to climate change and requesting statewide coordination to identify, plan for, and create cross-sector solutions to strengthen hawaii's public health response to the climate crisis.

SENATE RESOLUTION

Declaring a public health emergency relating to climate change and requesting statewide coordination to identify, plan for, and create cross-sector solutions to strengthen hawaii's public health response to the climate crisis.

     WHEREAS, humanity's runaway greenhouse gas emissions have contributed to accelerated climate change, characterized by rising global temperatures, sea level rise, ecological collapse, and the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events; and

     WHEREAS, as stated in House Concurrent Resolution No. 192 (2023), scientific consensus indicates public health will be impacted because climate change will increase the incidence of increased heat, vector-borne diseases, crop failure and food insecurity, water insecurity, waterborne diseases, extreme weather events, air pollution, and adverse mental health impacts due to these climate stressors and collective eco-grief, which refers to the deep sense of loss and overwhelming emotional response felt when learning about and experiencing the catastrophic destruction of the environment due to climate change; and

     WHEREAS, climate change adversely impacts the social determinants of health, which include food security, economic stability, strong social and community support networks, healthy environments, and access to quality health care and emergency services; and

     WHEREAS, as an island state, Hawaii remains particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, thereby endangering the health, safety, and welfare of its residents, warranting preemptive and protective action; and

     WHEREAS, climate change and health impacts are not limited to the responses of Department of Health, but transcend traditionally siloed approaches to state administration and impact all departments including those that oversee land, water, agriculture, transportation, and emergency services; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii established itself as a national leader in adapting to the climate crisis by becoming the first state in the United States to declare a climate emergency through Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 44 (2021), which recognized that climate change threatens the health, safety, and welfare of the people of Hawaii; and

     WHEREAS, Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 44 (2021) called for statewide commitment and mobilization of resources to a just transition to a decarbonized economy and facilitation of investments in beneficial projects and infrastructure, but did not declare a public health emergency nor call for the mobilization of resources necessary to adapt and protect human health in Hawaii from the severe threat of climate change; and

     WHEREAS, leading scientific and medical authorities, including the United Nations, World Health Organization, and American Public Health Association, have identified climate change as a major public health crisis; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, that this body acknowledges that climate change poses a dire threat to public health, declares a public health emergency in the State, and requests entities statewide to actively examine how the climate considerations within their departments impact human health and coordinate with other departments to identify, plan for, and create cross-sector solutions to strengthen Hawaii's public health response to the climate crisis; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; Attorney General; Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; Director of Health; Director of Transportation; Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture; and mayors of the City and County of Honolulu and counties of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii.

Report Title: 

Climate Change; Public Health Emergency

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1393

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 92

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.R. No. 92 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION DECLARING A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY RELATING TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND REQUESTING STATEWIDE COORDINATION TO IDENTIFY, PLAN FOR, AND CREATE CROSS-SECTOR SOLUTIONS TO STRENGTHEN HAWAII'S PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Declare a public health emergency relating to climate change; and

     (2)  Request statewide coordination to identify, plan for, and create cross-sector solutions to strengthen Hawaii's public health response to the climate crisis.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Life of the Land, Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute, Hawaii Climate Change and Health Working Group, Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, 350Hawaii.org, Coalition Earth, and fourteen individuals.

     Your Committee finds that leading scientific and medical authorities, including the United Nations, World Health Organization, and American Public Health Association, have identified climate change as a major public health crisis.  Your Committee recognizes that although agencies overseeing land, water, agriculture, transportation, and emergency services may not typically see themselves as having a health-related mandate, their decisions on resource management, urban planning, and disaster preparedness directly shape community health outcomes.  According to testimony received by your Committee, this measure fosters a cultural shift in which all agencies recognize how their policies and operations can either exacerbate or alleviate public health threats and builds on the State's established environmental commitments by explicitly addressing the human health dimension, ensuring that community well-being remains at the forefront of climate adaptation and resilience efforts.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 92 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment,