14 children in Hawaii sue state over greenhouse gas emissions
Saying the state’s transportation system drives high greenhouse gas emissions that harms their communities, 14 youth, including three in Maui County, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the state Department of Transportation, state officials and the State of Hawai’i.
The lawsuit, filed by Earthjustice attorneys in the state’s First Circuit Court, also alleges the state’s emissions violate the youngsters’ constitutional rights and undermines their ability to “live healthful lives in Hawai’i now and into the future.”
The state DOT via email today said it was advised to refrain from commenting on active litigation.
Youth are going to court to ensure HDOT follows through on the legal mandate, set by the state legislature, to decarbonize Hawai‘i’s economy and achieve a zero emissions economy by 2045, according to a news release on the lawsuit Navahine F. v. Hawai‘i Department of Transportation.
The youth plaintiffs range in age from 9 to 18 and from the islands of Hawai‘i, O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, Maui and Kaua‘i.
…
AC