A nearly deserted beach at the edge on an old Mauna Loa lava flow on Dec. 16, 2016, in an aerial photo taken along the Kona Kohala Coast, Hawaii.

George Rose / Getty Images file</s>HONOLULU (AP) - Hawaii has passed a law to document sea level rise and set strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The bill signed by Gov. David Ige aligns the state's goals with the Paris climate accord.

President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from that agreement last week.

Ige says Hawaii is the first state to enact legislation implementing parts of the Paris climate agreement.

Ige says the islands are seeing the impacts of climate change first-hand. He says tides are getting higher, biodiversity is shrinking, coral is bleaching and coastlines are eroding.

At least a dozen states including Hawaii have signed pledges to continue reducing fossil-fuel emissions despite Trump's decision.

Ige also signed a bill Tuesday to reduce carbon emissions in the agriculture sector.</s>Hawaii has passed a law that will document sea level rises and set strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The bill, signed by Governor David Ige on Tuesday, aligns the state's goals with those of the Paris climate accord.

Ige said Hawaii is the first state to enact legislation implementing part of the Paris Agreement.

The news comes four days after President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 pact.

At a news conference, Ige said the islands are seeing the impacts of climate change first-hand, including tides getting higher, biodiversity shrinking, coral bleaching and coastlines eroding.

At least a dozen states including Hawaii have signed pledges to continue reducing fossil-fuel emissions despite Trump's decision.

Ige also signed a bill Tuesday to reduce carbon emissions in the agriculture sector.

In a statement, Ige said the state of Hawaii is 'committed to environmental stewardship' and is looking 'forward to working with other states to fight global climate change'.

'Together, we can directly contribute to the global agenda of achieving a more resilient and sustainable island Earth,' he said.

'The Hawaii State Legislature understands the importance of taking action, and I applaud its work this session to ensure that we continue to deliver the island Earth that we want to leave to our children.'

Senator J Kalani English, the senate majority leader, who introduced SB 559, said the state law will give lawmakers a 'legal basis to continue adaption and mitigation strategies' for the state, 'despite the Federal government's withdrawal from the treaty'.

Additionally, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and representatives for Hawaii Island Mayor Harry Kim, Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, and Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho all signed a statement declaring their commitment to supporting the Paris Agreement.

Last week, several state governors and more than 1,400 mayors across the US pledged to uphold the guidelines set forth in the Paris Accord.</s>The governor of Hawaii on Tuesday signed a bill that aligns the state’s carbon emissions with the Paris climate accord.

Gov. David Ige signed the bill that calls on documenting sea level rise and set strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Many of the greatest challenges of our day hit us first, and that means that we also need to be first when it comes to creating solutions,” Mr. Ige, a Democrat, said, according to The New York Times. “We are the testing grounds — as an island state, we are especially aware of the limits of our natural environment.”

“Climate change is real, regardless of what others may say,” he said.

President Trump withdrew the U.S. from that agreement last week.

Ige says Hawaii is the first state to enact legislation implementing parts of the Paris climate agreement.

Ige says the islands are seeing the impacts of climate change first-hand. He says tides are getting higher, biodiversity is shrinking, coral is bleaching and coastlines are eroding.

At least a dozen states including Hawaii have signed pledges to continue reducing fossil-fuel emissions despite Trump’s decision.

Ige also signed a bill Tuesday to reduce carbon emissions in the agriculture sector.

The Associated Press contributed to this report</s>Hawaii has become the first U.S. state to enact legislation to bring its environmental standards in line with the Paris climate accord, officials said on Wednesday, less than a week after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the global agreement. Hawaii Governor David Ige signed a bill on Tuesday requiring state officials to plan a response to climate change that aligns the state with the standards and goals of the Paris pact, according to Scott Glenn, an environmental adviser to the governor.

“People come to Hawaii to enjoy its environment,” Glenn said. “When climate change is threatening our reefs and threatening our weather … then it’s threatening our economy, too.”

Although Hawaii already has strong environmental rules, the new law is the first to directly refer to the standards of the Paris agreement, said Glen Andersen, who tracks energy and climate issues at the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Along with setting climate change as a priority for the state, the bill creates a state commission dedicated to studying climate change and putting out detailed plans for responding both to sea-level rise and climate change as a whole, with the stipulation that the plans align with the Paris agreement.

Trump said on Thursday that the landmark 2015 climate agreement threatened millions of jobs and productivity, and that he would start a multi-year process to withdraw from the deal, which has been signed by almost every other nation on Earth.

The governors of Washington, California and New York on the same day announced the creation of a “climate alliance” of states that would remain committed to the Paris goals. Ige joined the alliance on Friday.

An overwhelming majority of scientists say human activity – including the burning of oil, gas and coal – is the main driver of rising global temperatures.

Scientists at the University of Hawaii said in April that sea-level rise driven by global warming will cause flooding of low-lying areas in the state dozens of times per year by 2050, and increase the risk of dangerous interactions between tropical storms and seasonal high tides.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>Hawaii Signs Legislation To Implement Goals Of Paris Climate Accord Anyway

Hawaii's governor has signed a bill that adopts goals of the Paris climate agreement, despite President Trump's announcement last week that the U.S. is pulling out of the global accord.

"Reducing greenhouse emissions in Hawaii is now the law — the state law," reports Hawaii Public Radio's Bill Dorman. "While the specifics are a bit vague, the political message is clear: to keep pace with environmental commitments made as part of the Paris accord."

Gov. David Ige signed the Senate bill on Tuesday, saying he was motivated by the evidence of climate change visible every day in Hawaii.

"We are the testing grounds. ... We are especially aware of the limits of our natural environment," Ige said before signing the document. "Tides are getting higher, biodiversity is shrinking, coral is bleaching, coastlines are eroding, weather is becoming more extreme. We must acknowledge these realities at home. That is why Hawaii is united in its political leadership on tackling climate change."

The law commits the state to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to align with the principles and goals of the Paris Agreement.

State Sen. J. Kalani English, who introduced the bill, said the measure "gives us legal basis to continue adaptation and mitigation strategies for Hawai'i, despite the Federal government's withdrawal from the treaty."

It also creates a commission to establish strategies to combat climate change and develop plans to manage the impact of rising sea levels.

Ige signed a separate bill Tuesday establishing a Carbon Farming Task Force, aimed at identifying "agricultural and aquacultural practices to improve soil health and promote carbon sequestration."

While the state says it is the first to pass legislation in support of Paris after Trump's withdrawal announcement, other governors have pledged to uphold the agreement inside their states. Hawaii is joining at least 12 other states that have formed the U.S. Climate Alliance and promised to remain committed to the goals in the Paris deal.

In 2015, 195 countries agreed in Paris to set individual targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with the shared goal of limiting the rise in average global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius.

While announcing his controversial decision, Trump said he was motivated by a campaign pledge to put American workers first. As The Two-Way reported, he stated that the agreement gives other countries "an economic edge over the United States."

Only two countries are not part of the global agreement — Syria and Nicaragua.

Trump's announcement also prompted more than 1,200 business leaders, mayors and college presidents to stress that they planned to continue working towards the goals set in Paris.

The state of Hawaii is also challenging Trump's travel ban in federal court, saying it violates the Constitution and discriminates against travelers on the basis of religion.</s>HONOLULU, Hawaii — Hawaii on Tuesday became the first state in the country with laws that implement portions of the Paris climate deal.

Gov. David Ige signed two laws that aim to reduce greenhouse emissions and mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, a process to store atmospheric carbon monoxide.

“Our island communities lead the way when it comes to climate change impacts and policies,” Ige told reporters. “We also need to be first when it comes to creating solutions.

“We see the impacts of our actions very close to home.”

The signing of Hawaii’s laws comes nearly a week after President Donald Trump announced he will withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The landmark accord signed by 195 countries intends to cut emissions and keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

“The measure adopted relevant sections of the Paris Agreement as state law, which gives us legal basis to continue adaptation and mitigation strategies for Hawaii despite the federal government’s withdrawal from the treaty,” state Sen. J. Kalani English said about the new laws.

Following Trump’s announcement, numerous states and cities across the United States vowed to continue honoring the goals of the Paris Agreement. Hawaii is the only state that has taken legal action.

“In order for Hawaii to be an active participant in going green and looking at alternative energies, we want to be the first, and we want to be the trendsetter for the world,” Wil Okabe, Hawaii County’s managing director, told CNN affiliate KHON-TV in Honolulu.

Hawaii is part of the US Climate Alliance, an entity created last week by the governors of California, New York and Washington state to share information, environmental best practices and implement new programs “to reduce carbon emissions from all sectors of the economy.”

“While the President’s actions are a shameful rebuke to the work needed to protect our planet for our children and grandchildren, states have been and will continue to step up,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement.</s>The governor of Hawaii on Wednesday signed a bill that aligns the state’s carbon emissions with the Paris climate accord.</s>The Governor of Hawaii, David Ige, has signed two bills which support the goals and commitments of the Paris Agreement.

 

 Ige's signing of the bills means that Hawaii has become the first state in the U.S. to enact legislation implementing parts of the Paris Agreement.

On June 1, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris Agreement and commence negotiations to re-enter or renegotiate a new accord. "This agreement is less about the climate and more about other countries gaining a financial advantage over the United States," he said at the time.

 

 The bills signed in Hawaii were SB 559 (Act 032) and HB 1578 (Act 033). The governor's office said that SB 559 expanded "strategies and mechanisms" to cut greenhouse gas emissions across the state "in alignment with the principles and goals adopted" in the Paris Agreement. HB 1578 establishes a Carbon Farming Task Force.

"Hawai'i is committed to environmental stewardship, and we look forward to working with other states to fight global climate change," Ige said in a statement. "Together, we can directly contribute to the global agenda of achieving a more resilient and sustainable island Earth."

The senate majority leader who introduced SB 559 welcomed its signing. "The measure adopted relevant sections of the Paris agreement as state law, which gives us legal basis to continue adaptation and mitigation strategies for Hawai'i, despite the Federal government's withdrawal from the treaty," J. Kalani English said.

 

 Hawaii recently joined the U.S. Climate Alliance, a group committed to upholding the Paris Agreement. Other members include Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, New York, Washington, and California.</s>Hawaii ignores Trump, presses on with climate accord HawaiIn a show of support for the Paris climate agreement, Gov. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: https://usat.ly/2rVsuR4 One law aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions; the other creates a task force that will work to trap and store carbon dioxide. Video provided by Newsy Hawaii Gov. David Ige has signed legislation boosting the state's drive toward the commitments of the Paris climate accord despite the Trump administration decision to withdraw the United States from the global agreement.

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The state of Hawaii becomes the first state to enact a law, to document sea level rise and set strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, that aligns the state's goals with the Paris climate accord. Governor David Ige says the islands are seeing the impacts of climate change first-hand.