By Yuxi Lim

Home to hundreds of beautiful islands and endangered wildlife species, Hawaii is lovingly known as the Aloha State. It is a globally popular tourist destination, attracting millions of tourists each year.

According to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism’s (DBEDT) annual visitor research report, more than 9.7 million people visited the Hawaiian Islands in 2024. 

By Governor Josh Green

Dr. Josh Green is the governor of Hawaii, named as one of the Time100 Climate for 2025

On a sweltering summer morning in 2023, eight months after I was sworn in as governor of Hawaii, disaster struck Maui. In the early hours of August 8, a downed utility pole sparked a fire that quickly spread into the town of Lahaina. Hurricane-force winds fanned the flames, igniting grasses and brush left bone‑dry by years of drought. By afternoon, fires tore through homes and businesses—trapping residents, overwhelming emergency crews and burning so hot that they melted metal and warped granite.

By Dan Nakaso for Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Representatives of Hawaii’s new Green Fee Advisory Council who will make recommendations on how increased lodging fees should be spent to combat climate change said Wednesday that they understand the scrutiny they’re under and pledged transparency.

“There are a lot of eyeballs on this,” Jeff Mikulina, the council’s chair, said during the first public discussion of what’s expected to happen in the months ahead. “This is really first in the nation. We owe it to the visitor industry, the folks who are paying into this, and communities and future generations to be very clear and explicit about where the funding is going and hold folks accountable to execute those projects.”

By Allison Schaefers for Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Members of the Green Fee Advisory Council updated Hawaii’s visitor industry Monday on the process that they are using to ensure that the nation’s first-ever climate impact fee strengthens Hawaii’s environment, builds resilience and enhances the visitor experience.

Jeff Mikulina, the chair of the new, volunteer climate fee advisory group, provided an update during a luncheon panel, “Green Fee in Focus,” on opening day of the Hawaii Tourism Conference, which concludes today. He was joined by advisory group member Jeff Wagoner and Dawn Chang, chair of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

By Carey L. Biron, Thomson Reuters Foundation for Honolulu Star-Advertiser

WASHINGTON >> When Kawika Riley surveys the beaches and forested hills of the Hawaiian islands, his eyes are drawn to a dangerous interloper: flammable invasive grasses.

Two years ago, such grasses fed devastating wildfires that tore through the island of Maui, killing more than 100 people and causing $5.5 billion in damage.

“What you’re seeing when you see those grasses grow is literally your risk and vulnerability increase,” said Riley, a coalition leader with environmental group Care for ‘Aina Now.

By Travel And Tour World

Hawaii has unveiled a strategically conceived green tax designed to foster environmentally responsible tourism while simultaneously alleviating the ecological pressures engendered by high-volume visitation. Surpassing 10 million arrivals each year, the sector represents the second largest economic pillar of the state, producing approximately one-quarter of gross state product. Nevertheless, such a scale has subjected native systems to pronounced decline, manifested through intensified coastal erosion, the dispersal of non-indigenous flora and fauna, and heightened susceptibility to cyclonic and other extreme temporal hazards. In light of these realities, state authorities will augment the transient accommodations tax, levying the rate to 11 per cent on all lodgings and short-term rentals.

By Maddie Burakoff for Audubon Magazine

In 2023, a deadly wildfire fueled by powerful winds and drought swept Maui, leaving vibrant communities and coastal habitat in ruin. As Hawaiʻi rebuilds at a cost of more than $12 billion, officials are preparing for a future of more extreme events. In May, the state enacted a first-in-the-nation “green fee”: a tax on tourists to fund climate preparedness efforts like uprooting invasive plants to reduce fire risk, hardening homes against hurricanes, and restoring reefs to buffer storm surges. “Hawaiʻi cannot wait for the next disaster to hit before taking action,” said Governor Josh Green. “We must build resiliency now.”

By Tuhin Sarkar for Travel And Tour World

Hawaii joins Bali, New Zealand, Venice, Barcelona, and Amsterdam in introducing new taxes, and how it affects the tourism industry is now at the centre of global debate. Around the world, destinations are searching for ways to balance booming visitor demand with the rising costs of protecting culture, nature, and local life. Hawaii joins Bali by preparing its first ever statewide green fee, while New Zealand has already raised its international visitor levy to record levels. At the same time, Venice is expanding its day-tripper entry tax, Barcelona is delaying but still increasing its hotel surcharges, and Amsterdam is keeping its position as Europe’s highest-taxed tourist city.

By Hawaii News Now Staff

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced the creation of a Green Fee Advisory Council, who will be responsible for giving guidance on how to spend the newly enacted Green Fee funds.

Green signed into law the country’s first-ever lodging tax that tourists pay to offset the impacts of climate change back in May.

The money collected from the fees is intended be spent on projects that strengthen Hawaii’s environmental resilience and sustainable tourism.

The Green Fee goes into effect Jan. 1, 2026, and is expected to bring in an estimated $100 million annually.

By Ashley Mizuo for Hawaiʻi Public Radio

Hawaiʻi is expecting to collect $100 million a year from the new "Green Fee" tax on hotels and cruise ships that starts next year. The 0.75 percentage point increase to the state’s visitor tax — bringing it to 11% — will be spent on climate resilience.

But what types of projects need the funding most? Care for ʻĀina Now, a group that advocated for the Green Fee, wants community input.

One of its leaders, Jack Kittinger, is encouraging people to fill out the coalition’s survey.

"Community groups are on the front lines all across the islands. So if we want to make progress fast on our climate resiliency efforts, we need to ensure those initiatives and efforts are being considered for the Green Fee funding so that we can put that public money to work in responsible, but also fast and effective ways to bolster our climate resilience,” he said.

By Carey L. Biron for Context

[WASHINGTON] When Kawika Riley surveys the beaches and forested hills of the Hawaiian islands, his eyes are drawn to a dangerous interloper: flammable invasive grasses.

Two years ago, such grasses fed devastating wildfires that tore through the island of Maui, killing more than 100 people and causing US$5.5 billion in damage.

“What you’re seeing when you see those grasses grow is literally your risk and vulnerability increase,” said Riley, a coalition leader with environmental group Care for ‘Aina Now.

By Gordy Megroz for Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) — As Hawaii nears the second anniversary of the Maui fires — which scorched 17,000 acres of residential and commercial buildings, cultural landmarks and vegetation, causing $5.5 billion of damage — its government is turning to tourism to mitigate future climate-related disasters.

A new “green fee,” proposed by Gov. Josh Green and passed through the legislature on May 2, is now the first of its kind in the country. It aims to raise some $100 million each year by marginally hiking tourism levies from 10.25% to 11%, costing Hawaii’s 10 million annual tourists an average of $2 per day. And unlike most tourism taxes, which fund such infrastructure as roads and public transportation, the revenue raised through the green fee will go exclusively to environmental projects, be they beach and coral reef restoration efforts or the removal of fire-prone grasses.

By Kainan Miranda for Honolulu Star-Advertiser

There are rare moments in public policy when government takes a bold step that demands attention. Seven years ago, Hawaii did just that with Act 15, committing the state to full decarbonization by 2045. With the passage of Act 96 this year, Hawaii once again stepped forward — taking bold, values-driven action. As climate change accelerates and many governments struggle to respond, Hawaii acted decisively. Our lawmakers made a clear, principled decision to invest in the long-term care of our environment and communities

By Marcel Honoré for Honolulu Civil Beat

Climate experts and proponents of Hawaiʻi’s new green fee will kick off next month what Gov. Josh Green has dubbed the “green fee initiative” — a process to decide how hundreds of millions of dollars for climate- and conservation-related projects will be spent.

Heading into the fall, that initiative will include community input and public meetings, Green said during the latest “Civil Cafe” event, which explored Hawaiʻi’s green fee, the first of its kind in the country, and how it might work.

Green pledged that when collections start next year state officials will provide monthly online accounting so the public can see how the money is being spent. Those state officials expect the fee to raise some $100 million annually from an additional 0.75% tax on local hotel stays and short-term stays, which will flow into the state’s general fund.

By Leilani Combs for Honolulu Civil Beat

As Hawaiʻi prepares to collect a first-of-its-kind green fee to protect the environment — one aimed mostly at short-term visitors — a similar conservation fee on ocean users established last year offers insights.

Since 2024, state land and water officials have been charging an extra $1 to people who parasail, take dolphin tours or join snorkel excursions, Waikīkī cruises and other recreational outings in Hawaiʻi’s waters. The money is intended to help offset their impacts on coral reefs, fish, turtles and other marine life.