Jay inslee wants to be on the right side of history. That’s why he pushed back when President Trump announced his intention to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. “Washington state is leading the way on climate issues, where Washington, D.C., is failing,” Inslee said in a statement issued after the Trump decision, reiterating our state’s commitment to implement a cap on carbon pollution and develop clean energy solutions.

Inslee joined the governors of California and New York to establish the United States Climate Alliance, a growing coalition of states committed to upholding the Paris accord and taking aggressive action on climate change. Washington state has also joined the Under2 Coalition, an international cohort of 176 state, provincial and local governments committed to reducing greenhouse gases. And Inslee will join other West Coast states attending the 2017 U.N. Climate Conference in Bonn, Germany this month.

Resolute in his commitment to continue Washington’s longstanding, groundbreaking efforts to combat climate change, Inslee has vowed to keep up the momentum and continue to work with partners around the world. Accepting the invitation to be part of the Bonn delegation, Inslee said, “The vacuum of international leadership left by President Trump is going to be filled by governors across the United States.”

Read about the rest of 2017’s Most Influential Seattleites here.