2024: 9 stories that prove all hope is not lost for climate progress

There’s no getting around the fact that this has been a terrible year for the planet.

This year is likely to be the hottest year ever experienced by humans, with average global temperatures more than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) higher than in the pre-fossil fuel burning era. There is. Greenhouse gas emissions have reached an all-time high. The consumption of coal, oil, and natural gas shows no signs of slowing down, and the demand for light, heat, transportation, and computing continues to grow.

Record temperatures have exacerbated deadly and devastating disasters around the world. Wildfires in Canada forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate, Hurricane Helen devastated western North Carolina, and a deadly heat wave killed hundreds in Pakistan. The oceans have warmed to alarming levels. A heatwave also occurred in Antarctica.

In the United States, the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter and the world’s largest oil and gas producer, the next presidential administration will at best ignore climate change, and at worst pursue policies to curb global warming. I intend to withdraw it.

But this year, humanity has also seen some of its efforts begin to pay off.

Technological advances and economies of scale have made clean energy more affordable. There are other tools to predict, warn, and respond to extreme weather events. Devices in our homes do more with less effort.

Solutions to climate change are not all new either. Indigenous practices regarding food, wildfires, and shelter are increasingly being recognized as tactics for limiting global warming and addressing its impacts.

We have also seen that natural systems are adapting to rising temperatures and contributing to the mitigation of global warming in surprising ways. Some plants and animals survive and even thrive in diverse ecosystems that are closer to us than we realize.

Even when viewed together, it’s still a cluttered picture.

The urgency to address climate change has never been greater, but the curve of greenhouse gas emissions is beginning to flatten and could soon bend downward. Human actions (or inactions) over the next few years will lay the foundation for the climate from mid-century onwards. Even if we fail to meet certain temperature goals on climate change, limiting warming is still not out of our control.

The continued proliferation of renewable energy is nothing new, but the growth in solar power over the past year has been astonishing. Last year set a record for global solar energy deployment, and this year we’re on track to beat it by 29%, defying predictions. And the sun is still rising on solar power, a pillar of power grid decarbonization. —Umair Irfan

The Earth has always been hotter, but today temperatures are rising so rapidly that many plants and animals are unable to adapt. New research suggests that 2.7 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages, the trajectory we are currently on, would put half a million species at risk of extinction without new policies and commitments. I am doing it.

But even in this dark reality, there are some areas of resilience. During the summer I visited coral reefs in the Caribbean. The reef is recovering from bleaching caused by past global warming, thanks in part to its abundance of parrotfish. And in May, I visited a global salamander hotspot in southern Appalachia. There, amphibians appear to be defying the worst climate predictions. Even in some of the most urban areas, wildlife can be found thriving.

Climate change will certainly wipe out many species, and that would be devastating. However, I am inspired by the many stories about animals and ecosystems that are kept alive, often with the help of humans. —Benji Jones

Our homes are a key front line in the campaign to curb climate change. Approximately a quarter of the world’s total energy is used in homes. Half of that goes to heating and cooling, and a quarter goes to power equipment. Although this hardware has become more energy efficient over time, some of these devices have become less reliable and less convenient to use. The good news is that washers, dryers, electric furnaces, water heaters, and stoves that use less energy and work more efficiently are also available and decreasing in price. A clean future is also a comfortable future. —UI

Satellite-based internet is one of those technologies that sounds far-fetched and a little fanciful. But thanks to companies like SpaceX and Viasat, not to mention airlines keen to offer in-flight Wi-Fi, it’s almost a reality. Satellite beam connections now reach the surface of the Earth, connecting even the most remote locations. And what’s even more amazing about this technology is that it allows you to stay connected even in times of disaster.

You may not realize it, but many modern smartphones can connect directly to satellites, making it easy to send text messages and even make calls in case of an emergency. North Carolinians quickly realized how valuable this upgrade would be in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen. After floods brought down cell phone towers, many iPhones became satellite phones and became a lifeline. Unfortunately, this won’t be the last time infrastructure is destroyed by a climate disaster, but at least technology has made its aftermath much more manageable. —Adam Clark Estes

For far too long, under-represented by the national media, Indigenous communities have some of our society’s most innovative solutions to climate change. Faced with the threat of rising sea levels, the Shinnecock Nation has an ambitious strategy to buy back land it has forcibly taken away. Their efforts to reclaim their ancestral territory are radical given their history, but Shinnecock believes that by regaining control of the land, they will not only secure a buffer zone against rising sea levels, but also regain cultural sovereignty. claims. This story reveals how the tribe’s quest to restore justice serves as a model for other Indigenous communities fighting land dispossession and climate change.

This feature is part of a multi-part series exploring Indigenous solutions in the face of extreme weather and climate change, including the power of Indigenous food systems to promote healthy forests and reduce catastrophic wildfires. The book covers the importance of fire prevention techniques that have been practiced by indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The entire series is well worth reading. —Paige Vega

What’s not to like about school buses? They’re yellow, friendly, and always on field trips. However, the vehicles that take children to school also tend to emit terrible exhaust emissions due to aging diesel engines. They are also great candidates for electrification, which is exactly why some school districts are converting their entire fleets to EVs. This year, the city of Oakland, California, introduced its first all-electric school bus, which supplies power to the grid even when the vehicle’s battery is not running.

There are 500,000 school buses on the road, making up the largest public transportation system in the United States. And electric school buses cost about $350,000 each, so replacing them all would be a huge undertaking. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021, the federal government has provided $5 billion for the transformation, and many states have offered their own funding. Although it will take years to replace all the diesel buses on the road, electric buses will pay for themselves because they can operate at a fraction of the cost of fossil fuel-powered buses. Added bonus: It’s much quieter, making it perfect for chatting after a field trip. -Ace

This year, Mexico installed a former climate scientist as president. Claudia Sheinbaum campaigned on preserving and promoting many of the policies of her predecessor, Andres Manuel López Obrador. But she also stressed that she wants Mexico to transition to cleaner energy. Given that the Mexican government still relies on revenue from state-run oil companies, the country’s electrical grid is deteriorating, and Mr. Scheinbaum has pledged to keep energy affordable for ordinary Mexicans. And this is a tall order. But Mexico has extraordinary clean energy potential, including wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower, and now has the political will to harness it. —UI

This year, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist and co-founder of the nonprofit think tank Urban Ocean Lab, shares the most insight into how we can collectively address climate change without falling into despair or holding on to false hope. He has emerged as one of the most influential speakers. Her new book, What If We Get it Right?, is not blindly optimistic. The point is not that everything will be fine. The point is that we need to act as if the future is a place we actually want to live in. Not centuries into the distant future, but now and for decades to come.

Johnson says there are already many concrete climate solutions. If we were motivated by the belief in a better tomorrow instead of a worse tomorrow, we would be more likely to implement those solutions (and find new ones). If you’re looking for a reason to feel inspired or hopeful, or even better, guidance on what to do and where to start, start with a conversation with Johnson. —PV

The perennial question regarding climate change is: “Is there anything I can do to address climate change?”

That’s natural. For those who understand the science of climate change and the inability of governments to act to address it, it can feel pretty hopeless. Climate change is a very systemic problem and cannot be solved by just one person. But on top of the big systemic changes we need, simple things that anyone can incorporate into their daily lives, like cutting meat intake by 10%, can add up to make a big difference. .

Vox contributor Kat Willett explored the possibility of rewilding. Rewilding is a movement that encompasses a wide range of landscape efforts, including reintroducing apex predators like grizzly bears into ecosystems. Cat’s comics place rewilding in the context of an urban lifestyle. The concept of the lesson is how she can be more mindful of the nature that surrounds us by doing small things that we can all do, such as planting native flowers, vegetables, and grass in our backyards or apartment balconies. We are paying attention to. I found her story inspiring and relatable. —PV