The first action by new Mayor Ron Nirenberg and the new City Council is a resolution pledging to support the Paris Climate Agreement, despite the fact that President Trump has withdrawn from the treaty, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The approval of the resolution came after two hours of sometimes emotional debate, where citizens stepped forward to claim that climate change is a clear and present danger to San Antonio and to the world.
"The actions necessary for climate preparedness...a priority for our economy, our national defense, and global stability, happen largely at the local level," Nirenberg said.
To those who say climate change is a global, not a local issue, Nirenberg delivered an impassioned response pointing out that the momentum for the Paris agreement came from cities.
"Under the Obama Administration we decided that cities need to lead on climate issues," he said. "The National League of Cities sent mayors from all around the country to Paris to come up with this accord."
The City conceded that it has no specific plan of action to fight climate change, but Chief Sustainability Officer Doug Melnick said several parts of the SA Tomorrow Sustainability Plan includes measures designed to clean the air.
"We went to reduce our vehicle miles traveled, we want to reduce 'food deserts,' we want to increase renewable energy production," Melnick said.
Newly elected Councilman Clayton Perry said he has just completed a grueling general and runoff election campaign where he spoke with thousands of people in his district about what their priorities are, and not a soul said fighting flobal warming is number one on their list.
"Crime, our streets, the condition of the streets, drainage, sidewalks, parks," he said. "I didn't get any comments about climate change."
Perry's request to delay a vote on the resolution for two weeks so he could study it and ask his constiutents how they felt about it was overwhelmingly rejected.
IMAGE; GETTY