MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT

The poster above may be the epithet of the Trump administration. (Photo: Victoria Pickering)

Resistance is an imperative response to "Trumpism." However, in addition to pushing back, it is important for individuals, ad hoc advocacy groups, activist organizations and local governments to advance progressive goals in innovative ways.

This week brought us Trump's decision to remove the United States from the Paris Accord. This makes the United States one of only three nations that did not sign the Accord. (The others are Nicaragua, which did not sign it because the political leaders of that country felt it was not strong enough, and Syria, which was in the midst of civil war and whose leaders were hardly in a position to engage in international talks.) Beyond the wholly understandable outrage, can there be positive progressive action to counter Trump's pernicious abandonment of the people of the planet?

The answer that California, New York and Washington have offered is "yes." Yesterday, the three states announced the formation of the United States Climate Alliance, which will be composed of states that want to commit to the Paris Accord, bypassing Trump's withdrawal. The alliance was described on the website of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo:

In response to President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., and Washington State Governor Jay R. Inslee today announced the formation of the United States Climate Alliance, a coalition that will convene U.S. states committed to upholding the Paris Climate Agreement and taking aggressive action on climate change.

“The White House’s reckless decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement has devastating repercussions not only for the United States, but for our planet. This administration is abdicating its leadership and taking a backseat to other countries in the global fight against climate change,” said Governor Cuomo. “New York State is committed to meeting the standards set forth in the Paris Accord regardless of Washington’s irresponsible actions. We will not ignore the science and reality of climate change which is why I am also signing an Executive Order confirming New York’s leadership role in protecting our citizens, our environment, and our planet.”



New York, California, and Washington, representing over one-fifth of U.S. Gross Domestic Product, are committed to achieving the U.S. goal of reducing emissions 26-28 percent from 2005 levels and meeting or exceeding the targets of the federal Clean Power Plan.

As more states join the alliance, the percentage of the United States committed to the carbon-reduction goals of the Accord will rise. Cities, hopefully, will follow suit and form an organization of their own to commit to implementing the pollution-reduction goals of the Paris Accord. As Cuomo's news release states, "With input from all participants, the U.S. Climate Alliance will also act as a forum to sustain and strengthen existing climate programs, promote the sharing of information and best practices, and implement new programs to reduce carbon emissions from all sectors of the economy."

This good news should bring us some hope amid a devastatingly bad news week. It is consistent with the desires of most Americans, as revealed in a poll in The Atlantic:

Seven out of 10 Americans support remaining in the agreement, according to a national poll conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Communication after the election. This cuts across parties: A majority of self-identified Democrats, Republicans, and independents all want to stay in the accord.

An article in Business Insider about the newly formed United States Climate Alliance states:

[California] Governor Jerry Brown was ... direct on a call with reporters organized by the World Resources Institute.

"This is an insane move by this president; the world depends on a sustainable future," said Brown. "It's tragic, but out of that tragedy I believe the rest of the world will mobilize, will galvanize our efforts...."

As the World Resources Institute has pointed out, if the US states that support the Paris Agreement were counted as a country, they'd be the fifth largest economy and sixth largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world — meaning that action by those states is significant enough to have an impact.

It's not just states getting involved. Mayors of more than 85 cities across the US signed a letter on Thursday announcing a commitment to reduce emissions and push clean energy. As Business Insider's Dana Varinsky previously reported, some experts believe it's possible that cities alone can ensure the US meets climate goals.

Given that European leaders have already informed Trump that they will not renegotiate the Paris Accord, the new alliance is a model of circumventing what former Mexican President Vicente Fox called Trump's declaration of "war on the planet itself."