Supporting Hawaii’s critical carbon offset decisions

Investigating offset programs and alternatives for the State of Hawaii

In 2017, the State of Hawaii committed to combatting climate change by systematically reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, aligning with the goals of the United Nations’ Paris Agreement. We were enlisted to support the requirements of Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) §225P-6, to investigate the feasibility and implications of establishing a carbon offset program.

Intuitive tools for stakeholder understanding

Carbon offsets are frequently publicized, but often misunderstood. So, in addition to preparing a feasibility report, our team also planned and ran a day-long symposium to breakdown highly complex information to legislators and stakeholders.

To provide clarity and facilitate the discussion surrounding offsets, our multi-disciplinary team had developed a handheld tool called the GHG Offset Gate Key (Gate Key). The Gate Key includes 4 options or “gates” which walk the user through the decision criteria to evaluate the feasibility of converting any GHG reduction action into an offset credit.

The Gate Key also accounts for the unique challenges in Hawai‘i and similar locations and included new feasibility criteria, such as environmental justice.

Achieving net zero targets

We also provided alternatives to offsets such as additional standards, codes, additional carbon pricing and policy mechanisms for future evaluation.

Together, we developed recommendations to support decision-makers and helped position the state to achieve their Zero Emissions Clean Economy Target by 2045 (HRS §225P-5)