Kathy Hochul: The 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders of 2025

What is a climate solution that isn’t getting the attention or funding it deserves? 

There is so much focus on high-tech solutions like carbon capture and electric vehicles, which are all important to the energy transition. However, one of the most powerful yet overlooked climate solutions is right under our noses: protecting and restoring our open spaces and forests. Our forests and green spaces are already our planet’s original technology for fighting climate change and helping communities adapt to extreme weather. 

Forests, green spaces, and even green resiliency options are giant sponges that soak up carbon pollution, provide cleaner air, cool our hot cities, and help prevent flooding. Unlike new technology, these solutions are accessible, affordable, and work with the Earth’s natural processes, yet they are often overlooked when we talk about addressing climate change. 

What gives you hope about the future of the planet?

My childhood was spent in western New York, swimming in Lake Erie, even as pollution from nearby industries went unnoticed. This was also the era of Love Canal, a local tragedy that led to the creation of the Superfund. Now, the movement continues to turn the page. We are actively fighting pollution and climate change, and helping the vulnerable communities most impacted by extreme weather adapt. This is what fills me with optimism and hope, knowing that we as people can continue to evolve and take the necessary steps to provide a healthier planet for future generations, like my grandchildren. 

If you could stand up and talk to world leaders at the next COP, what would you say? 

Ignoring the science is not an option. Climate change is real. The impacts of extreme weather—fires, droughts, heatwaves, blizzards—are real. Burying, ignoring, or misrepresenting the science will only make it impossible to address the defining environmental issue of our time.

Since I took office in 2021, we have seen once-in-a-century storms become routine. It is up to all of us to work together to reverse this for the good of all of us, our children, and their children. Time is running short. But we must address this critical situation in a way that ensures affordability for those paying the rates and grid reliability so the lights and heat stay on.