Denise Konan, "Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Hawaii"

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Hawaii

Denise Eby Konan

Abstract

Hawaii has committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. This research presentation uses detailed data on Hawaii's energy infrastructure and economic activities to determine the carbon intensity of Hawaii industries. New results are also presented on the role that visitor expenditures play in Hawaii's GHG emission profile, relative to residential activities. Counterfactual scenarios provide indications of GHG savings associated with energy efficiency in terms of electricity, gasoline, and energy. A key result is that visitors generate 4.4 times the GHG emissions of an average resident on a per-day basis. Electricity efficiency gains in hotels and health services offer high prospects for GHG reduction. Gasoline conservation in a wide variety of ground transportation services would also significantly lower GHG emissions.

About the speaker:

Denise Eby Konan is a Professor of Economics at the Univ. of Hawai‘i at Manoa. She is the Director of the Center for Sustainable Coastal Tourism (Sea Grant). She is also a Research Fellow in UHERO, where she heads the Energy and Greenhouse Gas Solutions (EGGS) project. A noted international trade economist, Konan has worked extensively in countries in the Middle East and North Africa. She has been a consultant to the World Bank, the Council of Foreign Relations and various foreign and national governments. She is known for her research on regional economic integration, multilateral trading systems (WTO), trade in services, foreign direct investment, greenhouse gas mitigation policy, and intellectual property rights. Between 2005 and 2007 she was the interim Chancellor of the Univ. of Hawai‘i at Manoa. During her leadership, she launched the Year of the Student campaign and promoted sustainability and international education. She has also served as Department Chair and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Konan is affiliated faculty in the UH-Manoa Global Environmental Sciences program and a Fellow in the International Center for Climate and Society. She will be a visiting professor at the American Business School in Paris, Jan. 2010. She received her undergraduate degree from Goshen College and her Ph.D. from the Univ. of Colorado.

Video and Slides:

Due to technical difficulties, the first few minutes of the presentation were not recorded. The missing portion included an introduction of Prof. Konan by Prof. Tony Kuh, and a recounting by Prof. Konan of one of the issues she faced when she served as interim Chancellor of the Manoa campus. The video starts as she is explaining the dramatic increase in electricity costs the Manoa campus faced when she was Chancellor.

These slides do not correspond exactly to the slides used during the presentation, as there were some technical problems during the presentation. These slides should be superior to the slides used for the talk itself.