--- description: Find out why Michael Walker is on TIME's 2025 list of the 100 most influential leaders driving business climate action. title: Michael Walker: The 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders of 2025 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa5716e24d50b525/6998caff66d4e33807cbcf88/Innovators-Michael-Walker.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Oct 30, 2025 # Michael Walker CEO, STAX Engineering by Michael Walker  Photo-Illustration by TIME (Courtesy Photo) _Michael Walker is CEO of_ [_STAX Engineering_](https://www.staxengineering.com/ "undefined")_. Under his guidance, the company, which launched in 2024, has quickly become a leader in cleaning up shipping ports. Its exhaust capture_ [_technology_](https://www.staxengineering.com/how-it-works/ "undefined") _can attach to all major vessel types to remove over 95% of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides—types of pollution_[ _known_](https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/health-and-environmental-effects-particulate-matter-pm "undefined") _to be_ [_harmful_](https://www.epa.gov/no2-pollution/basic-information-about-no2 "undefined") _to human health. This year STAX_ [_became_](https://www.staxengineering.com/stax-hub/stax-pola-contract-release/ "undefined") _the first approved emissions control provider for vessels docked in the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest port in the Western Hemisphere. Now STAX is exploring_ [_ways to expand_](https://www.seabound.co/news/stax-engineering-and-seabound-successfully-demonstrate-first-of-its-kind-integrated-emissions "undefined") _into carbon dioxide capture and control._ **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?** While carbon dioxide garners the most attention in climate discussions, other criteria pollutants—including particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide—are harming human health today. Port communities and disadvantaged populations bear the heaviest burden, facing higher exposure rates and are more susceptible to negative health outcomes. These pollutants trigger serious health outcomes including increased rates of cancers, heart and lung diseases, asthma, and dementia. NOx emissions, for example, form smog and acid rain while causing lung inflammation upon inhalation and eventually leading to heart and lung failures. The single most important action governments should take in the next year is implementing stringent regulations targeting these criteria pollutants—starting with ships at berth. Unlike long-term carbon reduction strategies, regulating criteria pollutants would deliver measurable health benefits almost immediately—fostering a healthier environment for our coastal communities, reducing the burden of pollution-related health issues, and paving the way for a more sustainable shipping industry. **What gives you hope about the future of the planet?** I get to witness transformation in real time. While headlines focus on climate doom, I’m watching 40,000-ton cargo ships (some of the most stubborn polluters on Earth) actually getting cleaner. At STAX Engineering, we partner with some of the leading companies at the forefront of this movement in the shipping industry. I’m inspired by shipping giants like WWL and NYK Line who are dedicated to doing their part; and ports like Los Angeles and Long Beach, which pioneer zero-emission technologies that other ports worldwide are racing to replicate. These aren’t feel-good pilot projects—they’re billion-dollar bets on a cleaner future. Although policy and technology help us get there faster, the climate movement is really about the people who wake up each morning committed to leaving the world better than they found it. That's what gives me hope—the unwavering resolve of the engineers, innovators, and problem solvers who see climate challenges as problems waiting for solutions. They see a vessel emitting pollution and think, “we can fix that,” and then they do. **If you could stand up and talk to world leaders at the next COP, what would you say?** Even the best climate solutions won’t make a dent in this crisis if they can’t scale with a clear path to market. We must find an economical way to move the needle with solutions that work with market forces, not against them. Carbon pricing isn’t just an environmental imperative—it’s an economic opportunity we're currently leaving on the table. Companies and technologies are ready, but we need policy frameworks that support and drive these efforts. At the next COP, I believe we need to implement a global carbon pricing mechanism that creates real market incentives for innovation and efficiency. When carbon has a price that reflects its true cost to society, businesses don't need to choose between doing good and doing well. This will drive the kind of rapid technological advancement and deployment we desperately need. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time-100-climate-2025/7326555/michael-walker/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time-100-climate-2025/7326555/michael-walker/"},"headline":"Michael Walker","datePublished":"2025-10-30T11:30:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T01:01:14.212Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time-100-climate-2025/7326555/michael-walker/","keywords":["TIME100 Climate 2025","list","franchise","Magazine","Special Project","sponsorshipblock","Accolades"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa5716e24d50b525/6998caff66d4e33807cbcf88/Innovators-Michael-Walker.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"Climate","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa5716e24d50b525/6998caff66d4e33807cbcf88/Innovators-Michael-Walker.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/climate/","name":"Climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time100-climate-2025/","name":"TIME100 Climate 2025"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time-100-climate-2025/7326555/michael-walker/","name":"Michael Walker"}}]}] ```