Hawaii ignores Trump, is first state to pass law committing to Paris Climate Accord

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