Finding Hope: 5 Reasons for Optimism Amidst Challenging Climate News

This year has brought an abundance of grim climate news: record-breaking global heat led to deadly extreme weather events, dire warnings from scientists about the potential for next year to be even worse, and a continued rise in the world's carbon pollution.

However, in the midst of this bleak outlook, there have been glimpses of progress. Records for renewable energy have been achieved, the world celebrated a major environmental victory, and countries took a cautious but historic step towards a future free from fossil fuels.

Here are five reasons to be hopeful.

A surge in renewable energy

A worker cleans solar panels at a new energy base in China, where solar capacity is now greater than in the rest of the world's countries combined.

Yuan Hongyan/VCG/Getty Images

As the need to rapidly wean off planet-heating fossil fuels becomes increasingly urgent, there have been some clean energy bright spots around the world.

Portugal made history on Halloween by kicking off a record-breaking streak. From October 31 to November 6, the nation of over 10 million people powered itself using only renewable energy sources, setting a thrilling example for the world. According to the International Energy Agency, 2023 is on pace to witness the largest surge in renewable energy capacity to date.

China, the largest climate polluter in the world, has rapidly expanded its use of renewable energy sources, already surpassing its wind and solar targets well ahead of schedule. A report released in June revealed that China's solar capacity now exceeds that of all other countries combined, a surge that was characterized as "astounding" by the report's author, Global Energy Monitor.

However, it is important to note that China also increased its coal production this year in response to the increased demand for air conditioning and cooling during severe heat waves, as well as the impact of persistent drought on hydroelectric supplies in the southern part of the country, which rely on sufficient rainfall.

A climate deal that targets fossil fuels

There was a glimmer of hope that the country's coal production would soon reach its peak and decline following the announcement of renewed cooperation between China and the US in November. The two countries pledged to significantly increase renewable energy resources, with the specific aim of replacing fossil fuels.

Sultan Al Jaber, the COP28 President, joins in the celebration of a new climate agreement in Dubai alongside the summit's CEO, Adnan Amin, and UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell.

Kamran Jebreili/AP

The COP28 climate summit in Dubai concluded in December after more than two weeks of tense negotiations, with nearly 200 countries making an historic commitment to transition away from fossil fuels.

The agreement did not mandate the world to eliminate coal, oil, and gas, although it gained support from over 100 countries. Instead, it urged countries to "contribute" to a "transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems," making it the first COP agreement to target all fossil fuels, which are the primary contributors to the climate crisis. COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, who led the negotiations, described the agreement as "historic" and stated that it signified "a paradigm shift that has the potential to redefine our economies."

The ultimate impact of this deal will hinge on the actions taken by countries to implement it. Numerous experts cautioned about potential loopholes that could allow for the continued expansion of fossil fuels.

However, the fact that a deal was reached on fossil fuels was widely celebrated as a major breakthrough.

"We got people to do things they havent done before," US climate envoy John Kerry told CNNs Christiane Amanpour after the summit, describing it as a "historic success."

Plummeting deforestation in Brazil

Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest fell by 22.3% in the 12 months through July.

Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images

After years of soaring deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, there was good progress this year in reducing forest destruction.

The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world and is essential for combating climate change, as it serves as a carbon sink that absorbs harmful greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. When forests are destroyed, they release these gases into the air, contributing to global carbon pollution. In Brazil, deforestation decreased by 22.3% in the past 12 months, signaling progress in efforts to address the rampant forest destruction that took place under the previous president, Jair Bolsonaro.

Marcio Astrini, leader of the advocacy group Climate Observatory, hailed it as a "remarkable achievement" that "marks Brazil's re-entry into the climate agenda."

Despite this, Brazil's deforestation rate is still almost double that of its lowest point in 2012. Approximately 9,000 square kilometers of rainforest were lost during this time. There is still a significant distance to cover in order to fulfill Lula's commitment to achieve zero deforestation by 2030.

The ozone layer is healing well

False-color view of total ozone over the Antarctic pole. The purple and blue colors are where there is the least ozone, and the yellows and reds are where there is more ozone.

NASA

The UN-backed panel of experts announced in January that the Earth's ozone layer is expected to fully recover within decades, thanks to the global phase-out of ozone-depleting chemicals. Since the 1980s, scientists have raised concerns about the depletion of the ozone layer, which shields the planet from harmful ultraviolet rays, caused by substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) widely used in refrigerators, aerosols, and solvents.

International collaboration has played a crucial role in mitigating the harm. The Montreal Protocol, implemented in 1989, initiated the elimination of CFCs and has been celebrated as a major environmental success for the restoration of the ozone layer. According to the assessment, if international policies remain intact, the ozone layer is projected to return to 1980 levels by 2040 in most regions. Recovery in polar areas will take longer, with a projected timeline of 2045 in the Arctic and 2066 in the Antarctic.

Electric vehicle sales surge

A study that was released in November, however, has raised some uncertainty regarding this progress. The research, which was published by Nature Communications, revealed that the hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic "has not only remained large in area, but it has also become deeper throughout most of the Antarctic spring." Nevertheless, some scientists expressed doubts about the findings of the study, stating that it relied on too short a time period to make conclusions about the long-term health of the ozone layer.

EV sales have climbed to a record high in America this year.

The demand for electric vehicles has skyrocketed this year, with record-breaking sales in the United States. China and Europe have also seen a significant increase in the number of electric vehicles being purchased.

Electric vehicles, especially when powered by renewable energy sources, play a crucial role in reducing the environmental impact of road transport. This sector is responsible for approximately one-sixth of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. In 2023, Americans set a new record by purchasing 1 million fully electric vehicles, as reported by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

During the first half of 2023, electric vehicles made up 8% of new vehicle sales in the US, 19% in China, and 15% worldwide. In Europe, EV sales increased by 47% in the first nine months of 2023, but car dealers have cautioned that sales are declining as consumers hold out for more affordable models anticipated in the next two to three years.