Washington’s accomplishments are a template for how to lead as Earth Day celebrations globally draw attention to the need for climate investments
Earth Day is a global call for leaders to forge ahead with climate action. Never has that call been louder, with the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report projecting dire consequences for the planet if significant emissions reductions efforts aren’t taken in the next 10 years.
“We don’t have time to agonize or despair,” Gov. Jay Inslee said when the IPCC report was released in March. “We must focus on mobilizing every part of our economy in the net-zero transition. State-level leadership in the United States is critical to the implementation of international and national policies.”
This is what makes Earth Day so important today. It highlights the policies and investments that will slash greenhouse gas emissions, produce renewable energy, clean the air in our most polluted communities, protect forests and wildlife, and stem the tide of climate change.
Washington state is a national and global leader in all these facets.
Earth Day has been rooted in Washington state since its founding in 1970, with Washingtonian Denis Hayes serving as its first national coordinator. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is a co-founder of the bipartisan state-led U.S. Climate Alliance, the international Ocean Acidification Alliance, and other groups led by states, provinces and cities taking action on climate even when national governments are slow to act.
Young Washingtonians know that climate change is a crisis, and they’re speaking up and taking action on Earth Day. According to Rosalie, a kindergartener, taking care of the planet is important “because of the animals — so they can stay alive, and everybody else.”
Students from all over Washington sent their videos about climate change to the governor’s office last month, and they all had the same message: The planet is important. Let’s do what we can to protect it.