THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2665

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds, as declared in the Hawaii Commitments presented to the World Conservation Congress in 2016, that "[w]e must undertake profound transformations in how human societies live on Earth, with particular attention to making our patterns of production and consumption more sustainable.  We must recognize that human health and wellbeing depend on healthy ecosystems.  We must recognize that every form of life has value – regardless of its worth to humans."  Hawaii has been a leader in conservation efforts for decades through its commitment to environmental and sustainability policies.  In the 1970s, the State enacted the State Environmental Policy, chapter 344, Hawaii Revised Statutes, as a mechanism to set environmental goals.  While comprehensive, it lacked measurable indicators and enforcement means.  Our understanding of the challenges facing our natural environment worldwide has changed remarkably since the 1970s and the laws enacted in Hawaii in recent decades have served as a starlight for other jurisdictions and set a global example on how to adopt policies on sustainability.  More recently, several approaches to sustainability have emerged in Hawaii, including the Aloha+ Challenge, the governor's Sustainable Hawaii Initiative, and other initiatives inspired by the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage and Mālama Hawaii.

     In July of 2014, the State launched the Aloha+ Challenge, a statewide commitment to sustainability, with the leadership of the governor, four county mayors, the Office of Hawaiian affairs, the legislature, and Hawaii Green Growth public-private partners across the State.  The Aloha+ Challenge: He Nohona Aeoia, A Culture of Sustainability, builds on Hawaii's history of systems thinking, Hawaiian culture and values, and successful track record on sustainability to outline six ambitious goals to be achieved by 2030:

     (1)  Clean energy:  Achieve seventy per cent clean energy, with forty per cent from renewables and thirty per cent from efficiency;

     (2)  Local food:  At least double local food production for local consumption;

     (3)  Natural resource management:  Reverse the trend of natural resource loss mauka to makai by increasing freshwater security, watershed protection, community-based marine management, invasive species control, and restoration of native species;

     (4)  Waste reduction:  Reduce the solid waste stream prior to disposal by seventy per cent through source reduction, recycling, bioconversion, and landfill diversion methods;

     (5)  Smart sustainable communities:  Increase livability and resilience in the built environment through planning and implementation at the state and county levels; and

     (6)  Green workforce and education:  Increase local green jobs and education to implement these goals.

     To increase the efforts of the Aloha+ Challenge, the governor launched the Sustainable Hawaii Initiative in 2016, which includes five goals:

     (1)  Double local food production by 2020;

     (2)  Implement Hawaii's interagency biosecurity plan by 2027;

     (3)  Protect thirty per cent of the highest priority watersheds by 2030;

     (4)  Manage thirty per cent of nearshore ocean waters by 2030; and

     (5)  Achieve one hundred per cent renewable energy in electricity by 2045.

     In May of 2014, Hōkūlea began a three-year voyage across the world's oceans carrying the message of Mālama Honua – to care for the earth.  Building on the legacy of the Polynesian way finders, the Hōkūlea Worldwide Voyage inspired actions of conservation across the Hawaiian Islands and beyond, resulting in the connection of a lei of aloha around the globe.

     At the global level, the United Nations sustainable development goals, the Hawaii Commitments presented to the World Conservation Congress in 2016, and the Paris Climate Agreement have been adopted to guide global efforts.  The sustainable development goals, otherwise known as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which were born at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 and came into force in 2015, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.  The seventeen sustainable development goals are interconnected and work in the spirit of partnership and pragmatism to make the right choices now to improve life, in a sustainable way, for future generations.  They provide a clear framework for action to guide countries in accordance with their own priorities and the environmental challenges of the world at large.  They tackle the root causes of poverty and unite us together to make a positive change for both people and planet.

     Dealing with the threat of climate change impacts how we manage our fragile natural resources.  Achieving gender equality and better health helps eradicate poverty, and fostering peaceful and inclusive societies will reduce inequalities and help economies prosper.  The sustainable development goals are voluntary commitments to make the world a better and more prosperous place.

     During September 2016, more than thousand leaders from government, civil society, indigenous communities, faith and spiritual traditions, the private sector, and academia gathered in Hawaii for a meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress.  Delegates to the Congress adopted the Hawaii Commitments to achieve the transformation required to promote a "Culture of Conservation".  The Hawaii Commitments consist of seven identified challenges and proposed solutions, including:

     (1)  Linking spirituality, religion, culture, and conservation;

     (2)  Engaging and empowering youth;

     (3)  The challenge of sustaining the global food supply and conserving nature;

     (4)  The challenge of preserving the health of the world ocean;

     (5)  The challenge of ending wildlife trafficking;

     (6)  The challenge of engaging with the private sector; and

     (7)  The challenge of climate change.

The Hawaii Commitments build on the Paris Climate Agreement and the sustainable development goals to allow different global voices to come together and find common ground in the spirit of partnership, collaboration, and sustainability.

     In order for Hawaii to continue to serve as a starlight for the rest of the world in setting policies on sustainability and to serve as global leader on issues of conservation and sustainability, it is essential that the State demonstrate its full commitment to its own policies and goals, as well as the goals set on the international stage at United Nations conferences and summits on sustainability.

     Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to codify the State's commitment to conservation and sustainability by including goal four, quality education, of the seventeen United Nations sustainable development goals and indicators, with references to existing state sustainability programs, if applicable, in the Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 344, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§344-     Sustainable development goals; quality education.  In pursuance of the State's sustainability goals, and notwithstanding any law to the contrary, all agencies shall, insofar as practicable, take action to assist the State in achieving the sustainable development goal of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030 by:

     (1)  Ensuring that all children complete equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes;

     (2)  Ensuring that all children have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-school education to prepare them for primary education;

     (3)  Ensuring equal access for all persons to affordable and quality technical, vocational, and tertiary education, including university;

     (4)  Substantially increasing the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment and for entrepreneurship, and developing young leaders for careers in the conservation and natural resource management fields in Hawaii through internships, fellowships, training, and networking opportunities;

     (5)  Engaging and empowering youth to connect with nature, take action to support conservation, and work for the planet, pursuant to the World Conservation Congress Hawaii Commitments of 2016, and ensuring that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture's contribution to sustainable development;

     (6)  Advancing environmental and cultural literacy via broad-based partnerships for grassroots capacity building;

     (7)  Eliminating gender disparities in education and ensuring equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, Native Hawaiians, and children in vulnerable situations;

     (8)  Substantially increasing the state literacy rate for youths and adults;

     (9)  Building and upgrading education facilities that are child, disability, and gender sensitive and providing safe, non-violent, inclusive, and effective learning environments for all;

    (10)  Substantially expanding statewide the number of scholarships available for enrollment in higher education, including vocational training, information and communications technology, and technical, engineering, and scientific programs; and

    (11)  Substantially increasing the supply of qualified teachers."

     SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.


 


 

Report Title:

Sustainable Development Goals; Goal Four; Quality Education

 

Description:

Codifies sustainable development goals based on the United Nations' Global Goal four, quality education.  (SD1)

 

 

 

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