The Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) last week provided a positive outlook for the planet as leaders ranging from business executives, governors and mayors from around the world came together in pledging their commitments for a carbon neutral future.
Beyond the promising speeches and inspiring videos played on stage, in which the world was urged to combat climate change, a lot more needs to be done in order to achieve their promises.
California Governor Jerry Brown hosted the GCAS in San Francisco three months ahead of the planned 2018 UN Climate Change Conference, or COP 24, in Poland's Katowice in December. Mr Brown is dubbed as "a climate leader" for his initiatives in transforming California into a low-carbon state with ongoing programmes to boost the use of electric cars and renewable energy.
Paritta Wangkiat is a columnist, Bangkok Post.
At the summit, he pledged to make California a carbon-free electricity state by 2045, amid a domestic climate-hostile policy with President Donald Trump vowing to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change.
If countries want to achieve their Paris Agreement targets and prevent negative impacts of global warming, greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2020 and subsequently drop. Under the agreement, countries have pledged to keep the average temperature rise below 2C.
The impacts of climate change are manifested by extreme weather events reported around the world. Last week alone saw Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina in the US and Typhoon Mangkhut hit the Philippines, resulting in the evacuation of thousands of people.
Since Washington has shown its favour for fossil fuels and denied climate change, the world's non-state players are determined to prevent the worst consequences from happening.
"Washington can't stop the decline of coal and keep America from fulfilling the Paris Agreement," said former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, GCAS's co-chair, and the UN's General's Special Envoy for Climate Action.
"Small steps are taken across the country. Even without help from Washington, Americans are making progress", he said.
During the GCAS, more commitments were made by several players including mayors from major cities who signed a pledge to develop an inclusive climate action plan by 2020. Mahindra Group, an Indian multinational car manufacturing corporation, committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2040. Meanwhile, China pledged to fund electric vehicles charging infrastructure.
Al Gore, former US vice president and prominent climate campaigner, praised the event for its "success".
But such "success" is not enough for grassroots communities and indigenous groups directly affected by climate change who were seen protesting in front of the GCAS venue. They argued that dealing with climate change is about more than just market-based solutions.
They called GCAS is "a trade show". Apparently, they resent it for excluding local communities.
During the protest, they slammed Mr Brown for not being a "real" climate leader, given that California is still one of top oil-producing states, and for "making it up" by just signing two bills recently to ban any new oil and gas infrastructure.
They chanted "keep it in the ground". Some protestors even managed to get into the venue and interrupted Mr Bloomberg's speech, which he responded back with: "Only in America could you have environmentalists protesting an environmental conference".
Living on the climate change frontline, their demonstration showed that a sense of urgency has grown stronger. Many of them have already been affected by the impact of climate change -- from rising sea levels in Oceania to the loss of Native Americans forest homelands.
During the protest, some shared experiences of suffering from water and soil contamination as a result of oil and gas drilling and transportation. "People are losing their lives because of profits," one said. "It destroys who we are," said another indigenous man who said climate change has threatened his culture and tradition.
In past decades, state leaders have disappointed the world. From the US's rejection in 2001 of implementing the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the world leaders agreeing to a non-legally binding accord made at the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Conference, these are seen as winning moments for fossil fuel-based businesses, which hold political influence in developed nations.
The grassroots movement's solution is simple, that every party must act now to meet their commitments.