The GOP mayors quietly fighting climate change

Quoted: "In our research at the Boston University Initiative on Cities, we found that large-city Republican mayors shy away from climate network memberships and their associated framing of the problem," writes Boston University research fellow Nicolas Gunkel.

• "But in many cases they advocate locally for policies that help advance climate goals for other reasons, such as fiscal responsibility and public health," he adds, citing initiatives on energy-savings and local air pollution.

One level deeper: Gunkel looks at planning documents from the 29 largest cities led by GOP mayors.

• "Among this group, 15 have developed or are developing concrete goals that guide their efforts to improve local environmental quality. Many of these actions reduce cities’ carbon footprints, although they are not primarily framed that way," the piece notes.