Of course it was stunning … and foolhardy … and troubling.  But Donald Trump's decision yesterday to pull out of the Paris climate change accord was, ironically, a democratic promise.  Throughout one of the most divisive and damaging election campaigns in American history, Donald Trump had repeatedly promised that he would do exactly what he did yesterday.  And now that he is president, having won the Electoral College, though not the popular vote, he has delivered on his word.  We always say we want politicians who will carry through on their policies, but when it comes out looking like this, democracy can become confounding.  As my former colleague Bob Rae put it:  “The ostrich has temporarily replaced the eagle as the American national bird.” If this were only an American drama, then we could watch it play itself out, much as we did with the past election.  But when it comes to climate change and the welfare of the planet, we are talking about a global effort and everything about it therefore matters to us … and our kids, and their kids, and so on, and so on. I am currently working on a column for next week's National Newswatch on what this world would look like without America.  Well, we're getting an initial taste of it right now.  And you know, it's not all bad.  For years now we have been enduring a time of testing – a season of introspection as to democracy's validity and whether our version of politics is up to the challenge.  It's not just tragedies like what occurred in Manchester two weeks ago that brings out the best in us; sometimes it's how we respond when our politics fails us. Take newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron, for instance.  While other world leaders bemoaned Trump's decision in characteristic language, Macron got creative.  Take just three of his statements that emerged shortly after the American president said he was pulling out of the global accord:  

•  “We will not renegotiate a less ambitious deal … There is no plan B. There is no planet B.”
• “The U.S. is turning its back on the world, but France is not turning its back on the U.S.”

  And then there was his quote at the end of the day that immediately went viral: “Make the Planet Great Again.”  Macron took the terrible news and constructed a narrative of hope out of it, and in so doing he reminded the world that we have options and that we have one another.  His observation about France not turning its back on the America reminds us of how inspirational and collaborative great political leadership can be. And then there was the ingenious response of Pittsburgh's mayor, Bill Peduto.  Interviewed on CNN only hours following Trump's statement, Peduto reminded viewers that just because someone in the White House says “no,” doesn't mean the rest of the country has to go along.  He had already been working the phones and been in discussion with a large number of American mayors who have decided they will still respect the Paris Accords and that they will team together to support one another in the process.  “I was there in Paris,” Peduto noted.  “I was there in Paris with 500 other mayors from around the world – the largest gathering of mayors in history.” This is how democracy reacts when it stumbles.  It's not about just one person deciding for everyone else.  It is about everyone else having the right and responsibility to join forces when the welfare of their planet and their families are at stake. We all recall Abraham Lincoln's famous observation: “A government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”  But what happens if the earth itself perishes?  It is now a timely question.  “Of the people,” is still our best way ahead.  The strength of democracy isn't about leaders making decisions, but about citizens taking part in their own self-government.  We are now entering such a time, and it could just be that this latest decision by Donald Trump could well result in the renaissance of responsible democracy in our own time.  The stakes are that high. Glen Pearson was a career professional firefighter and is a former Member of Parliament from southwestern Ontario.  He and his wife adopted three children from South Sudan and reside in London, Ontario.  He has been the co-director of the London Food Bank for 29 years.  He writes regularly for the London Free Press and also shares his views on a blog entitled “The Parallel Parliament“.   Follow him on twitter @GlenPearson.