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Sustainability in Hawaii

Decent Essays

In 1990, NASA launched the Voyager I. As it left the solar system and traveled on for another six billion kilometers away from Earth, it took the famous photograph, ‘Pale Blue Dot.’ In this iconic photography, Earth is portrayed as an insignificant, fragile speck in the vast and endless expanse of the cosmos. Nevertheless, on that tiny pixel lay all of the wonders we humans have ever known - wonders that are now threatened by human development. As pollution, global warming, climate change, habitat destruction and exploitation of resources threaten the “pale blue dot,” the demand for sustainable development that meets our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs grows every greater. …show more content…

It is because of the forethought of others that I am able to experience Hawaii’s natural magnificence. I want my children – and their children, for generations to come – to be able to say the same. It is for this reason that I believe we must utilize a twofold sustainable ideal in which we protect the environment while also growing economic prosperity. We must strike a balance between revering nature and supporting human quality of life.
In Hawaii, economic and environmental choices often go hand-in-hand. Our state’s location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has created a natural paradise which draws people from all over the world who, in turn, bring economic prosperity to the state through our tourism industry. However, it is also undeniable that sustainability and clean energy are essential to Hawaii due to our bearings in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Tourism and development demand tremendous amounts of energy, land, and resources. Some argue that we must continue to exploit our land and resources for tourism and development, which supports us financially. Not only does Hawaii’s economy depend on others, but Hawaii as a whole is pathetically dependent on others in every aspect. The dependence on imports that we are currently imprisoned to threatens our resources and our way of life. Currently, 95% of Hawaii’s energy comes at great cost from imported fossil fuels. Every year, 47.2 million barrels of oil, or roughly 34 barrels per person in Hawaii, are

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