The Maui News

The 20-member Hawaii Climate Commission voted on Thursday to support Hawaii Gov. Josh Green’s proposal to create a $100 million climate fund to continue the state’s adaptation and mitigation efforts to combat climate change.

“The Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission stand in full support of the Climate Impact Fund,” the commission said in a statement. “The proposed legislation is a continued commitment by the State and the Legislature to address the climate emergency declared by the Legislature in 2021 by investing significant funds and resources to leverage the historic federal funding to address climate change.

“This further demonstrates the State’s seriousness in addressing climate mitigation and adaptation actions and empower State, County, and non-governmental organizations to take climate action now,” the commission added.

The commission was established by law in 2017 and has representatives from the Legislature, county planning departments, leaders of executive branch departments and coastal zone management experts.

The fund would be stewarded by the commission and housed at the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The funds would be used to leverage historic federal matching funds for climate action, provide year-round source of funding for government and communities, facilitate better coordination between communities and agencies and receive donations to address climate issues from non-government organizations.

“Our support for the fund is consistent with the Commission’s commitment and the measures it has taken in the past,” said Dawn Chang, the commission co-chair and DLNR chair.