Four identical resolutions — House Resolution 186, House Concurrent Resolution 196, Senate Resolution 152, and Senate Concurrent Resolution 161 — would, if adopted, request the state board of education and department of education to establish a working group to develop a Climate Literacy Seal of Excellence program for Hawaii's students.
The preamble to the resolutions notes that "climate change presents significant environmental, economic, cultural, and public health challenges" and that "preparing students to understand climate science, sustainability, resilience, and the civic and workforce implications of climate change is essential to long-term community well-being."
The working group would be requested to include in the program:
(1) A proposed course sequence or academic pathway aligned with climate science and sustainability standards;
(2) Experiential or project-based learning requirements tied to community resilience, stewardship, or community-based problem solving;
(3) Criteria for earning the Climate Literacy Seal of Excellence;
(4) Professional development needs and credentialling considerations for educators;
(5) Alignment with graduation requirements, career and technical education pathways, and civic education initiatives; and
(6) A phased implementation timeline and resource consideration
A report would be provided to the legislature before the start of the 2027 legislative session.
HR 186 and HCR 196 were introduced on March 18, 2026, by Amy Perusso (D-District 46) and seven of her colleagues, and referred to the House committees on Education and Finance. SR 152 and SCR 161 were introduced on March 19, 2026, by Glenn Wakai (D-District 15) and two of his colleagues, and referred to the Senate Committee on Education.
Two previous bills, Senate Bill 2473 and the identical House Bill 1925, would have required the state department of education to establish a climate literacy certificate program. House Bill 1925, amended to authorize rather than require the department to establish such a program, passed the House of Representatives on March 6, 2026, and is pending in the Senate.
