by There was no shortage of grim climate news this year: unprecedented global warming fueled deadly extreme events, scientists issued warnings that next year could be even worse, and global carbon pollution continued to rise.
But amid the gloom, there were also signs of progress. Renewable energy records have been set, the world celebrated one of its greatest environmental victories and countries took a cautious but historic step towards a fossil fuel-free future.
Here are five reasons to be optimistic.
Increase in renewable energy
As the need to remove planet-warming fossil fuels grows rapidly, there are some bright spots of clean energy around the world.
On Halloween, Portugal started a winning streak. For more than six straight days, between October 31 and November 6, the nation of more than 10 million people relied entirely on renewable energy sources – setting an inspiring example for the rest of the world.
The year 2023 is on track for the largest increase in renewable energy capacity to date, according to the International Energy Agency.
China, the world’s biggest climate polluter, has done it lightning progress in renewable sources, with the country ready to break its wind and solar target five years early. A report published in June found that China’s solar capacity now exceeds that of the rest of the world’s nations combined, in a boom that the report’s author, Global Energy Monitor, described as “jaw-dropping”.
However, China cannot be ignored either ramp up coal production this year, turning to fossil fuel as destructive heat waves increased the demand for energy for air conditioning and cooling, and as a persistent drought in the south of the country affected hydroelectric supplies, which depend on adequate rainfall.
Hopes that the country’s coal production will soon peak and decline were raised when China and the US announced in November that they would resume cooperation on climate change, promising a big increase in energy in -renewable, specifically to replace fossil fuels.
Climate agreement targeting fossil fuels
After more than two weeks of extensive negotiations, the COP28 climate summit in Dubai concluded in December with nearly 200 countries making an unprecedented commitment to move away from fossil fuels.
While the agreement did not commit the world to phasing out coal, oil and gas – which more than 100 countries supported – it called on countries to “help” transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems. This was the first time that all fossil fuels, the main drivers of the climate crisis, were targeted in a COP agreement.
COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, who led the negotiations, called the agreement “historic,” adding that the agreement is “a paradigm shift that could redefine our economy.”
The impact of this deal will depend on what other countries do to implement it. Many experts have warned of the loopholes that could leave the door open to continued expansion of fossil fuels.
But that agreement on fossil fuels was widely welcomed as a breakthrough.
“We got people to do things that haven’t been done before,” US climate envoy John Kerry told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour after the summit, describing it as a “historic success”.
Plummetation of deforestation in Brazil
After years of very high deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, good progress was made this year in reducing forest destruction.
The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest and its protection is considered critical to curbing climate change. It activates a carbon sink that removes planet-warming pollution from the atmosphere. When forests or trees are destroyed, they release greenhouse gases. Deforestation and land degradation are responsible for at least a tenth of the world’s carbon pollution.
Deforestation in Brazil fell by 22.3% in the 12 months through July, according to data from the national government, as President Luiz Ignácio Lula da Silva began making progress on his pledge to end the rampant forest destruction that occurred under his predecessor. Jair. Bolsonaro.
Marcio Astrini, head of the advocacy group Climate Observatory, described it as a “great result” that “seals Brazil’s return to the climate agenda.”
Still, Brazil’s deforestation rate remained almost double its all-time low in 2012. About 9,000 square kilometers of rainforest were destroyed in that period. There is a long way to go to achieve Lula’s promise of zero deforestation by 2030.
The ozone layer is healing well
The Earth’s ozone layer is on track to fully recover within decades, a UN-backed panel of experts announced in January, as ozone-depleting chemicals are phased out worldwide. .
The ozone layer protects the planet from harmful ultraviolet rays, but since the 1980s, scientists have warned of a hole in this shield due to harmful ozone substances, including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which have been widely used in refrigerators, aerosols and solvents.
International cooperation helped to stop the damage. An agreement known as the Montreal Protocol, which entered into force in 1989, began to phase out CFCs. The subsequent recovery of the ozone layer was hailed as one of the world’s greatest environmental achievements.
If global policies remain in place, the ozone layer is expected to return to 1980 levels by 2040 for most of the world, the assessment found. For polar areas, the recovery period is longer: 2045 over the Arctic and 2066 over the Antarctic.
However, a study published in November cast doubt on this progress. The IS paper, published by Nature Communications, found that there is a hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic “Not only is there a large area, but it has also become deeper throughout most of the Antarctic spring.” But some scientists were skeptical of the study’s findings, saying it relied on too short a period to draw conclusions about the league’s long-term health.
Increase in sales of electric vehicles
Electric vehicles have grown in popularity this year, with American sales at record highs. Large numbers of people in China and Europe are also increasing EVs.
Electric vehicles – which are better for the planet than gas and diesel powered cars when they run on renewable energy sources – are key to decarbonising road transport, which is responsible for around a sixth of planet-warming pollution worldwide , according to the International. Energy Agency.
Americans will buy 1 million fully electric vehicles in 2023, an annual record, according to a report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Electric vehicles accounted for about 8% of all new vehicle sales in the US in the first half of 2023, according to the report. In China, EVs accounted for 19% of all vehicle sales, and globally, they accounted for 15% of new passenger vehicle sales.
EV sales in Europe increased by 47% in the first nine months of 2023, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (EAMA). However, car dealers have warned that sales are falling as consumers wait for cheaper models, which are expected in two to three years.
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