Hawaii 2050

When it comes to the environment, the task force wants to boost
energy from renewable resources from the current 5 percent of
all energy use to 20 percent by 2020.

In addition, by promoting recycling and other waste reduction
strategies, the panel wants to divert half the waste from the
landfills statewide by 2020, up from the 31 percent that is
currently diverted.

To bolster the economy, the plan calls for creating more
technology-related jobs, which currently have an average salary
of $47,262. By 2020, the task force wants the innovation sector
to comprise 7 percent of all private-sector jobs.

Agriculture should also see a boost, if the state pushes for
more locally grown food. Today, about 15 percent of food
consumed in Hawai'i is grown in the state. The goal for 2020 is
to increase that to 30 percent of food — including 85 percent of
fruits and vegetables.

A major failure in the plan is its failure to anticipate the
impacts of ocean rise due to climate disruption. All low lying
areas (Waikiki, Moiliili, Mapunapuna, etc.) are at risk of
flooding as oceans rise and water tables are forced upward. The
chances are high that this will occur with in the time frame of
the Hawaii 2050 plan.

While many who consider environmentalists to be a bunch of tree huggers believe we are anti-business we recognize that we must have a healthy economy in order to afford to take care of the place we live. The balance we strike today between the needs of people and the ability of nature to provide those needs will determin the quality of the future we leave our kids.