Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

Hawaii Senate Bill SCR111 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	THE SENATE S.C.R. NO. 111 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 STATE OF HAWAII SENATE CONCURRENT 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.
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3	3	THE SENATE S.C.R. NO. 111
4	4	THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
5	5	STATE OF HAWAII
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7	7	THE SENATE
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9	9	S.C.R. NO.
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11	11	111
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13	13	THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
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17	17	STATE OF HAWAII
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29	29	SENATE CONCURRENT
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31	31	RESOLUTION
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37	37	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.
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43	43	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, the House of Representatives concurring, 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 Concurrent 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. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: Climate Change; Public Health Emergency
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45	45	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
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49	49	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
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53	53	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
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57	57	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
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61	61	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
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65	65	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
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69	69	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
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73	73	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,
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77	77	BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, the House of Representatives concurring, 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
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81	81	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent 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.
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89	89	OFFERED BY: _____________________________
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93	93	OFFERED BY:
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107	107	Report Title:
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109	109	Climate Change; Public Health Emergency