--- description: Find out why Kathy Hochul is on TIME's 2025 list of the 100 most influential leaders driving business climate action. title: Kathy Hochul: The 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders of 2025 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc29ecc91a460ef79/6998cb0647fe5178f155c313/Leaders-Kathy-Hochul.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Oct 30, 2025 # Kathy Hochul ## Video: TIME100 Climate 2025 | Leaders Compilation [Watch (HLS stream): TIME100 Climate 2025 | Leaders Compilation](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/qIdHTBY3.m3u8) (7:02)  _Published 2025-10-30_ Governor, New York by Kathy Hochul  Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Photo: Will Waldron—Albany Times Union/Getty Images) _This year, despite political headwinds, New York Governor Kathy Hochul introduced New York City’s congestion pricing program, the first such initiative in the U.S. In its first six months, the toll reduced traffic in the busiest parts of Manhattan_ [_by 11%_](https://www.mta.info/press-release/icymi-six-months-governor-hochul-highlights-success-of-congestion-pricing-traffic "undefined")_, pushed public transportation use to_ [_new highs_](https://www.mta.info/press-release/icymi-six-months-governor-hochul-highlights-success-of-congestion-pricing-traffic "undefined")_, and boosted the local economy. The_ [_program_](https://www.mta.info/press-release/icymi-six-months-governor-hochul-highlights-success-of-congestion-pricing-traffic "undefined") _is expected to raise $500 million by the end of 2025 to help fund mass transit upgrades and has shown_ [_early signs_](https://www.nber.org/system/files/working%5Fpapers/w33584/w33584.pdf "undefined") _of improving vehicle fuel efficiency and lowering emissions._ **What is the single most important action you think the public, or a specific company or government, needs to take in the next year to advance the climate agenda?** With the federal government imposing serious roadblocks on renewable energy and rolling back water and other environmental protections, the single most important thing we can do is fight back. It is critical states band together to push back legally against the harmful federal actions while simultaneously finding ways to move forward with renewables and other emissions-free projects. In New York, we are not waiting on the federal government. We are taking matters into our own hands to ensure a cleaner and greener environment and economy. We have committed [$500 million](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-efforts-safeguard-clean-water-promote-climate-resiliency-and-protect "undefined") a year for clean water projects and additional funding for resiliency projects to protect communities from floods, rising sea levels, and other harmful impacts of severe weather. We’re also preparing to open next year the Champlain Hudson Power Express, a hydroelectric transmission line that will deliver from Quebec 20% of New York City's energy, all of it clean. And we are accelerating renewable energy project development and construction to take advantage of federal subsidies before they expire while also building on our land preservation efforts, which under my administration has seen the largest expansion in decades. And even with the uncertainty facing the offshore wind industry, we will continue to move forward with two permitted projects currently under construction on top of the existing South Fork Wind, which is the only utility-scale offshore wind farm in operation in the United States. **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](https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0201290 "undefined"). 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. 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