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 catastrophic warming 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.