It’s not every day that two high school journalists get to talk to Jay Inslee, the current Governor of Washington. On Sept. 26th, 2024, Tatler staff writers attended a one-hour press conference on climate change, featuring Governor Inslee, an opportunity offered by the Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA).

Governor Inslee’s press conference with WJEA was a Q&A session on Initiative 2117, a controversial measure appearing on the ballot in November.

If voters approve Initiative 2117, it would prevent state agencies from setting a limit on carbon emissions. Businesses would then need to buy carbon credits if they want to emit more carbon than the permitted amount — around 25,000 tons of annual carbon emissions. It would also repeal the 2021 Washington Climate Commitment Act, designed to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2050.

Republican Representative Jim Walsh of Washington, a vocal proponent of Initiative 2117 and getting rid of the carbon tax cap, says, “This cap and trade gas tax scheme … punishes working families and doesn’t actually reduce emissions.”

Proponents of the Initiative believe that forcing businesses to pay will simply encourage them to pass the costs onto consumers in the form of higher prices. They also feel that the system doesn’t incentivize real changes in behavior or investments in cleaner technologies. Businesses may just take the carbon credit costs and continue emitting.

During the press conference, when asked about Walsh’s comment, Governor Inslee said, “They’re about 180% wrong, both because we are legally reducing pollution and giving people… the means to do so.”

As Washington’s governor since January of 2013, though not running for another term, Governor Inslee has passed numerous climate change bills. This all comes to a tipping point this Nov. 5.

On that day, people from all around Washington will vote on this initiative and make their voices heard. A yes vote means revoking many of the current state administration’s climate change bills; A no vote means keeping this current legislation in place.

“It is this generation that has the most to lose if Washington destroys this effective way to fight climate change,” Governor Inslee said. “People [are] still claiming climate change isn’t real. They’re more interested in oil companies’ profits than children’s lungs.”

When asked about concerns regarding Initiative 2117’s potential to defund other government projects, Governor Inslee responded, “We are not going backward. We are going forward.”

Near the end of the press conference, Tatler reporters asked him one last question on what we students can do to advocate for our political beliefs. He responded directly, saying “Vote. You can register to vote before you are 18. The most effective way to participate in democracy is to have a discussion with someone about an issue that they care about.”

Governor Inslee reiterated the impact of conversation: “Too often people diminish the power they have in being persuasive on an individual basis. You can influence people and it has an impact.”