Overview of Trump is rolling back climate solutions. What can cities and states do?
This NPR Sunday Story episode focuses on how climate action in the U.S. has been affected by recent Trump administration rollbacks — including rescinding the EPA’s “endangerment finding,” cutting EV and solar tax credits, and reducing climate research — and asks what cities, states, and local communities can still do. The episode’s central message is that while federal action matters, local governments can still make meaningful progress on both emissions reduction and climate adaptation through practical, scalable solutions.
Main Takeaways
- Federal setbacks don’t end climate action. Even as the Trump administration rolls back climate regulations and support for clean energy, states and cities still have major influence over energy, building, and transportation policy.
- Local action adds up. Many climate policies are implemented at the state and municipal level, so local decisions can significantly affect emissions and resilience.
- Adaptation matters as much as mitigation. Some solutions don’t just cut emissions — they also help communities cope with heat, flooding, and other climate impacts already happening.
- Hope comes from practical innovation. The episode highlights real-world projects that repurpose existing infrastructure and land in smarter ways.
Story 1: Denver Reimagines Old Heating Infrastructure
What Denver is doing
- Denver is transforming an old downtown steam heating system into a more efficient water-based district energy network.
- Instead of sending steam through leaky pipes, the city plans to circulate water and use heat pumps to move heat between buildings.
Why it matters
- The old system was innovative in the 1800s but is now inefficient, expensive, and polluting.
- The new approach can:
- reduce wasted heat,
- lower energy costs,
- and eventually help Denver move away from fossil fuels.
Additional energy sources Denver wants to use
- Geothermal heat from underground.
- Waste heat from sewage / warm wastewater, which would otherwise be lost.
Broader lesson
- Denver hopes to become a model for other dense cities with aging infrastructure, such as New York City or Boise, showing that existing pipe networks can be repurposed for cleaner heating and cooling.
Story 2: Attleboro’s Pocket Forest as a Climate Adaptation Strategy
What happened
- In Attleboro, Massachusetts, volunteers planted a dense “pocket forest” on an abandoned baseball field using the Miyawaki method.
- This method packs many native trees and shrubs into a very small area, creating a mini-forest that grows quickly and densely.
Why pocket forests are useful
- They can help cool neighborhoods, which is increasingly important as temperatures rise.
- They can also help with stormwater absorption, which is useful in places prone to flooding.
Climate context
- The area has experienced serious flooding, including a 2023 event that damaged around 200 homes.
- Since a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, intense rain and flooding are becoming more common.
- The pocket forest is intended to help soak up water and improve local resilience.
Bigger takeaway
- This is a good example of adaptation: helping communities handle climate impacts already happening, not just reducing future emissions.
Broader Theme: Why Local Climate Solutions Still Matter
- The episode argues that cities and states remain powerful climate actors, especially when federal leadership is weak or hostile.
- Local officials and communities can still:
- upgrade infrastructure,
- expand clean energy use,
- redesign buildings and heating systems,
- and create nature-based solutions like urban forests.
- Juan Carlos Lozada, a Colombian lawmaker featured in the episode, emphasizes the importance of persistence: “Never give up.”
Notable Insight
- A key point repeated in the episode is that local solutions are not symbolic — they can reduce emissions, save money, and protect people from climate impacts now.
- The broader hope is that local innovation can keep climate action moving even when national policy stalls.
Closing Message
The episode ultimately offers a counterpoint to climate pessimism: even amid federal rollbacks, practical climate progress is still happening at the city and neighborhood level. Denver’s infrastructure overhaul and Attleboro’s pocket forest show that local communities can still make measurable, meaningful changes.