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by adding load on or off the grid. New <br />development also includes embodied emissions, <br />also referred to as embodied carbon, from <br />harvesting, transportation, and construction of <br />materials. The General Plan expands on the <br />opportunities for increasing renewable sources of <br />energy and energy efficiency in the Public Utilities <br />section. <br />Waste and Wastewater <br />The third and fourth highest contributing sectors <br />for Hawaii County emissions are solid waste and <br />wastewater, accounting for 8.79 percent of <br />emissions.10 In 2022, Hawaii County collected <br />203,872 tons of waste in its landfill. Solid waste <br />produces emissions through the process of <br />decomposition, which releases nitrogen gases and <br />methane. Additionally, transporting waste to and <br />from transfer stations and the landfill produces <br />additional emissions. Wastewater (sewage) <br />produces GHG emissions during treatment <br />processes, including nitrification and <br />denitrification. Waste management is especially <br />important for an island community, which has <br />limited land for waste disposal and watersheds that <br />are easily polluted. Residential, commercial, and <br />industrial activity add to waste production on the <br />island through materials used in construction, <br />agriculture, and the visitor industry. Without <br />finding ways to repurpose and reduce waste, waste <br />production will continue to grow as population <br />expands and economic activity increases. The <br />County can divert waste from the landfill or <br />incinerator through integrated waste management <br />activities, including reducing, reusing, recycling, or <br />composting waste. Waste minimization feeds into <br />economic development, cesspool management, <br />and toxic leakage. The General Plan explores <br />opportunities for reducing waste in the Public <br />Utilities and Public Facilities and Services <br />sections. <br />1 <br />Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use <br />Agriculture, forestry, and other land use serve as <br />carbon, sinks, which absorb a substantial amount of <br />carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Hawaii <br />Island forests are the largest source of carbon <br />sequestration in the State." Forests are also <br />essential components of our watersheds. At higher <br />elevations, forests catch and collect water that then <br />travels down to lower elevations, providing fresh <br />water from mauka to makai. As forests and <br />shrublands are converted for commercial and <br />residential activities, ranching and agriculture, <br />essential natural carbon sinks, and vital cultural <br />resources disappear. Deforestation and <br />degradation of native forests can reduce the <br />availability of fresh water, impacting potable water <br />supply, agriculture, and ecosystem health. <br />Moreover, the proliferation of invasive species can <br />decrease groundwater recharge and have <br />diminished the dominance of native ecosystems in <br />10 COH, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for 2017 (2021) <br />tt DOH, Hawaii Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report for 2017 (2021) https://health.hawaii.gov/cab/files/2021/04/2017-Inventory Final -Report April- <br />2021.12df <br />3.0 Addressing Climate Change for Island -Wide Health I County of Hawaii General Plan 60 <br />