In San Francisco last week, international businesses leaders, governors, and mayors, stepped up their commitments to combat global warming at the Global Climate Action Summit. The event signaled to the world that although the Trump Administration has disdained any formal response to climate change, American cities and states remain focused on the challenge. California Governor Jerry Brown started the week by announcing California would accelerate its conversion to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, improving upon the previous mandate of 80 percent renewables by 2050.

In many ways, the event operated like two conferences, with the formal summit commencing September 13 at the Moscone Center, while most of the negotiation, agreements, and action took place off-site all week during officially recognized affiliate events, many of which were open to the public. To receive an official summit invitation as a delegate, Brown required cities, private sector companies, and organizations to pledge reductions in emissions and help meet national obligations under the Paris Climate Agreement. The 2016 accord, regardless of Trump’s statements, is technically still in effect in the U.S. until 2020.