New Delhi, Jan. 29 -- Donald Trump withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accords was a decision foretold. Trump has never been shy of airing his deep climate denialism, so it was clear as soon as the US presidential results were announced last November that the US would give up on climate action. However, just withdrawing from the UN process is one thing. What is equally worrying is the fact that several key US climate institutions-from NASA to the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-might well be forced to curtail their work.

As many analysts have pointed out, the nature of US federalism means that many progressive (and wealthy) US states-such as California-can continue to be a part of the global climate alliance, ...