A federal system of power gives US state and local governments great autonomy, regardless of national policy. California, New York and Washington State have declared a new alliance to fulfil US responsibilities under the Paris deal, and are likely to be joined by many more. Dozens of city mayors have also drawn lines in the sand.

‘A matter of principle’: US business leaders slam Trump’s withdrawal from Paris climate deal

Though Trump tried to portray the Paris Agreement as unfair and inflexible, in reality, each signatory country chooses how to set its own goals and greenhouse gas targets. The US could simply have adjusted its national target if it had concerns about economic impacts, instead of trying to blow up the global framework for climate action.

Trump’s withdrawal from climate deal shows that ‘America First’ can mean ‘America Alone’

As Washington’s reputation lies in tatters, it will be all the more important for American companies, state and local governments – and the vast majority of citizens of all political stripes who supported the Paris Agreement – to reclaim a measure of moral authority. A vast wave of domestic dissent, followed by concrete progress, will prove that America is not monolithic in rejecting the global good.

After Bush withdrew from Kyoto, the fight against climate change often felt frustrating. Progress came slowly, in the face of constant obstruction from the American federal government.

Yet organisations, individuals and governments of goodwill focused their energies and endured, making incremental progress and eventually paving the way for the next global agreement.

In response to the latest massive injustice, we likewise cannot tire.

We must continue to join hands across borders and generations, to ensure the health of our planet.

Kevin F. Hsu teaches urban studies and international policy studies at Stanford University