As the most isolated state in the United States, Hawaii relies on energy—especially fossil fuels—to help power its economy, bring food and trade to and from the islands, and even keep its unique culture thriving. That’s why lawsuits targeting energy companies in Honolulu and Maui overlook the importance of fossil fuels for the state.
In early November 2019, the City and County of Honolulu voted unanimously to sue major oil and gas companies, including ExxonMobil, in an effort to pin the “costs and consequences” of climate change on energy producers creating a necessary and legal product. In October, Maui announced similar plans.
But while these localities are pursing litigation against energy companies, they completely ignore how their communities depend on oil and fossil fuels. From tourism, to trade, to food and its favored products, the entire state of Hawaii needs various energy sources to grow its economy and maintain a high quality of life.
Tourism is vitally important to Hawaii, typically making up a fifth of the state’s economy. According to the Hawaii state government, a record 9.9 million visitors came to the state in 2018 via airplane and cruise ship, spending a record-breaking $17.64 billion on lodging, food and beverage, shopping, entertainment and recreation.
These tourists rely on energy—primarily fossil fuels—to get them to their destinations around Hawaii. It’s no secret that if people want to soak up a little sun and fun in Hawaii, they’ll need to make the long trip to the middle of the Pacific Ocean on either an airplane or cruise ship since trains, well, just aren’t an option. All of those visitors can thank oil for getting them there. Jet fuel is primarily manufactured from crude oil, and modern cruise ships are powered by gas turbine or diesel electric engines.
And Hawaii can thank those visitors for bringing all that money to their economy. The state generated $94 billion in GDP in 2018, meaning those tourists accounted for 19 percent of Hawaii’s economic output—an economic output directly related to fossil fuels, and the transportation they support.
In addition to tourism, Hawaii’s economic well-being also relies heavily on trade, given the state’s isolated location. According to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, Hawaii exported $660 million worth of Made-in-America goods around the world in 2018, which supported more than 3,000 jobs.
But imports are where trade becomes crucial for Hawaii. Data from the Commerce Department shows the state imported $4.5 billion dollars’ worth of goods in 2018, firmly positioning it as a net importer that requires everything from food and clothing, to household appliances and energy products to sustain its population.
And like tourists, these exported and imported goods rely on airplanes and ships to move to their destinations, both powered by oil.
Among the most important goods that Hawaii imports are the state’s food supplies, because of Hawaii’s isolated location, limited farmland, and the expensive nature of obtaining power and other needed agriculture resources.
A research paper from the University of Hawaii cites analysts who estimate that the state imports 85 percent of its food from the mainland U.S. and other countries, explaining that, “full self-sufficiency would be impractical” and would require “radical changes in diet and lifestyle.” Faced with a disaster, the paper says Hawaii would need to take drastic measures to ensure everyone has enough to eat, underscoring the importance of imports:
“In prolonged emergencies there might be a need for food rationing of some sort. In extreme situations there might be a need for martial law, as there was in the 1940s.”
So, could Hawaii produce enough food to feed the entire population if it was forced to? Bruce Mathews, the former interim dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, said, “Theoretically, yes. But it would be really challenging.” Honolulu Magazine, which interviewed Mathews, said the methods he described to ensure survival would be a “radical transformation” that may cause the collapse of the state’s democracy.
Needless to say, we hope Hawaii never faces this doomsday situation. But the fact that leading academic figures have considered the possibility only demonstrates the importance of oil to power the ships bringing Hawaii the food it needs.
Like food, Hawaii is highly dependent on fossil fuel imports for its power generation. The EIA says:
“Hawaii’s heavy dependence on imported petroleum for electricity generation and its isolated island grids contribute to the state having the highest U.S. retail power prices.”
EIA data also shows the islands gets the vast majority of their electricity generation from petroleum-fired sources. A state government report expounds on that:
“Hawaii depends more on petroleum for its energy needs than any other state. Less than 1% of electricity in the United States is generated using oil. By contrast, Hawaii relied on oil for 67.3% and on coal for 15.1% of its electricity generation in 2015.”
Public nuisance lawsuits against energy producers could cause electricity prices to increase dramatically, hurting the very constituents litigation proponents claim to be protecting.
Aside from relying on fossil fuels for its economic well-being and ease of obtaining necessities, portions of Hawaii’s culture also rely on fossil fuels—like surfing. Hawaiians invented the sport, and as the Wall Street Journal notes, surfing represents a “profound expression of their religion and culture.”
Originally made of wood, today’s surfboards are lighter and more durable thanks to materials like polyurethane – a petroleum byproduct. Again, thanks to oil, Hawaii’s ubiquitous surfer culture can thrive.
Political leaders in Maui and Honolulu are waging a campaign against oil and gas companies while completely ignoring that these fuels are absolutely vital to maintaining the state’s economy, feeding its citizens, and providing the recreation that defines its culture. Suing energy companies isn’t a serious strategy to address climate change because it has zero effect on the environment and only distracts from the innovation needed to fix the problem. But it will make life harder for Hawaiians who depend on oil and gas for jobs, food, power, and recreation.
