How Four American Cities Are Defying Trump To Take The Lead Against Climate Change

Earlier this month, when Trump announced his decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, my editor called me to write a piece on the story. I decided to focus on the reactions, and, to my surprise, realised that there was a huge majority of criticism. For the first time, I saw bankers and activists side by side defending the same concept, and people who had rightly criticised the accord were now pointing out all the good sides of it.

International booing of Trump's decision was quick and understandable. After all, the president is not very popular in many parts of the world. Plus, he had just let down one of the most remarkable diplomatic efforts in the last few decades.

But what really made me regain hope was the opposition inside the US. Almost at the same time, businessmen, academics and politicians all over the country spoke up against leaving Paris. But it was the cities (and some states) who ended up playing the biggest role in the US's defense of climate (Pittsburgh's mayor's tweet will go into history as one of the great comebacks in politics).

This story talks about four of those cities: New York, San Francisco, Miami Beach and Houston, which, for different reasons, can be highlighted in the fight against global warming. New York and, even more, Miami Beach, are at the front line of climate change. San Francisco responds to a progressive tradition. And Houston, being an oil and gas hub, has a surprising leading position in renewable energy commitment.

The article is divided into four parts, with each city's efforts and shortcomings described by a reporter. Their local expertise shines through. This makes the text much richer and more credible than it would have been if it had been authored by a single hack.

There's nothing to criticise from the story. It's complete, well sourced, informative and excellently written. An excellent, serious read. I hope there's more to come, with an analysis of other cities, both in the US and abroad.