Seattle University Conversations

Many discussions on climate change these days include a dire forecast followed by a grim outcome. But Governor Jay Inslee doesn’t see it that way. He says, “I believe we are fully capable of defeating climate change. And I believe that we are fully capable of giving the generations behind us a shot at a meaningful existence.” Why is the Governor so optimistic? He tells hosts Professor Larry Hubbell and Joni Balter the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act was a game-changer. He says it created $360 Billion dollars/ worth of investment in clean energy. He also believes the world’s intellectual ability will be energized, and, as he puts it, “will keep us from going over the cliff.” He goes on to say, “I just don’t believe that the human consciousness, the most powerful force on the planet that has unbelievable innovative power, is not going to preside over its own destruction.” The Governor cited some in-state examples of that innovation, including a Bellingham firm that’s one of the largest makers of solar panels in the world. Also, a company in Pullman that’s generating a new system of sustainable aviation fuel with a nearly net-zero carbon footprint. And in South Seattle, a manufacturer has developed clean hydrogen fuel cells that can power some of the world’s largest trucks. The Governor says, “This is all happening so fast it makes your head spin.”