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Hawaii is facing the consequences of climate change every day.

are threatening our communities. Health disparities across the state are increasing. Unless we turn things around, the harms of climate change will only get worse. 

We do not need to look far to see how the climate crisis is shaping life in Hawaii. Climate change is fueling extreme weather across our state, including .

From 2010 to 2020, Hawaii experienced 145 extreme weather events that cost our state . Already, are at risk of coastal flooding, and by 2050, an additional 152,000 people are projected to be at risk due to rising sea levels.

The price of inaction is clear, and our leaders must act now to reduce the climate-harming carbon pollution that is driving this extreme weather.

With Congress and President Joe Biden already delivering on bipartisan infrastructure legislation in mid-November, our leaders need to now deliver on a strong climate bill for Hawaii. Thankfully, we have a solution and a concrete pathway to address the climate crisis and support our nation’s growing clean energy future in a just and equitable way.

With the Build Back Better Act, which just cleared a milestone with passage in the U.S. House of Representatives, we can deliver historic investments totaling more than $550 billion in climate action, clean energy and environmental justice.

Scientists have warned us for years about the dangers of inaction on climate change. Sure enough, here we are at a code red moment for the climate crisis. The BBBA will put our nation on the path to cut carbon pollution by at least 50% by 2030, the same goal scientists tell us is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

For communities of color and low-wealth communities, which disproportionately bear the burden of climate change, climate action is a matter of justice, and the BBBA will advance environmental justice by investing in these exact communities.

This bold climate bill will also jumpstart . Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, clean energy jobs were growing  than the economy as a whole, and today, about are employed in the clean energy sector. With the BBBA, we can capitalize on this clear potential and ensure a bright and prosperous clean energy future for all in our state.

Hawaii deserves better than the status quo. While our state is doing everything it can to tackle the climate crisis, including setting a , we need support from our leaders in Congress to protect our health and environment. While I appreciate Rep. Ed Case (HI-01) following through on his commitment to support the BBBA and Rep. Kai Kahele’s (HI-02) vocal support of the bill, there is still work to be done.

The Build Back Better Act now heads to the Senate for debate. All of our elected officials must now come together to create the change that people across the country are demanding, and it is essential that the Senate do its job by swiftly passing this bold climate bill and then the House must take action on the final BBBA.

Already, want their Members of Congress to support the BBBA and its bold climate-related provisions. Climate change isn’t a matter of politics; it’s a matter of quality of life and in all our best interests to confront the climate crisis head-on. Now let’s pass the Build Back Better Act.