There’s no getting around the fact that it’s been a dire year for the planet.
This year is likely to be the hottest year humans have ever experienced, with global average temperatures more than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) higher than the era prior to the widespread combustion of fossil fuels. Greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high. Coal, oil, and natural gas consumption shows no signs of slowing down, and demand for light, heat, movement, and computation is only growing.
The record-breaking temperatures worsened deadly and destructive disasters around the world: Canadian wildfires forced the evacuations of tens of thousands of people, Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, and a horrific heat wave in Pakistan killed hundreds of people. The oceans warmed to astonishing levels. Even Antarctica experienced a heat wave.
And in the United States, the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter and the world’s largest oil and gas producer, the incoming presidential administration is at best going to ignore climate change and at worst actively reverse policies for limiting warming.
But this year, humanity also saw some of its efforts start to pay off.
Technological advances and economies of scale have made clean energy more affordable. There are more tools to anticipate, warn, and respond to extreme weather. The devices in our homes do more with less.
The solutions to climate change aren’t all new either. Indigenous practices around food, wildfires, and housing are gaining recognition as tactics for limiting warming and coping with the consequences.
We’ve also seen natural systems adapt to rising temperatures and help mitigate warming in surprising ways. Some plants and animals are surviving, even thriving, in diverse ecosystems closer to us than we may have realized.
Taken together, it’s still a mixed picture.
The urgency for addressing climate change has never been greater, but the curve of greenhouse gas emissions is starting to flatten out and could soon bend downward. Humanity’s actions (or inaction) over the next few years will lay the foundation for the climate in the middle of the century and beyond. Even if we miss our specific temperature goals on climate change, limiting warming is not out of our hands yet.
That renewable energy continues to gain ground is hardly a new story, but the expansion of solar power in the past year has been stunning. Last year set a record in worldwide solar energy deployment and this year is on track to beat it by 29 percent, defying projections. And the sun is still rising on solar, a pillar in the push to decarbonize the power grid. —Umair Irfan
Earth has been hotter before, but today temperatures are rising so fast that many plants and animals can’t adapt. New research suggests that a rise of 2.7 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average — the track we’re on now, barring new policies or pledges — would threaten half-a-million species with extinction.
But even within this bleak reality, there are pockets of resilience. Over the summer, I visited a coral reef in the Caribbean that’s bounced back from past warming-induced bleaching, in part due to an abundance of parrotfish. And in May, I visited a global salamander hot spot in southern Appalachia, where these amphibians seem to be defying worst-case climate projections. Even in some of the most urban areas you see some wildlife thriving.
Climate change will indeed kill off many species, and that’s devastating. But I’m inspired by the many stories of animals and ecosystems that keep holding on — often with the help of humans. —Benji Jones
Our homes are a major front in the campaign to curb climate change. About a quarter of all the energy in the world is used at home. Half of that goes toward heating and cooling, while a quarter power appliances. This hardware has been getting more energy efficient over time, but some of these devices have proved less reliable and convenient to use. The good news is that washers, dryers, furnaces, water heaters, and stoves that use less energy and do their jobs better are also available and getting cheaper. A cleaner future can also be a comfortable one. —UI
Rachel Victoria Hillis for Vox
Satellite-based internet is one of those technologies that sounds far-fetched and a bit fantastical. But thanks to companies like SpaceX and Viasat — not to mention airlines eager to provide in-flight wifi — it’s very much a reality. There are now constellations of satellite beaming connectivity down to the Earth’s surface, connecting even the most remote areas. And what’s extra incredible about this technology is that it can also keep us connected in the event of a disaster.
You might not realize it, but many of the latest smartphones can connect directly to satellites, making it easy to text or even make phone calls during emergencies. People in North Carolina quickly discovered how valuable this upgrade could be in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Many iPhones became lifelines by becoming satellite phones after flooding took out cellphone towers. Sadly, this won’t be the last time a climate disaster devastates infrastructure, but at least, technology is making the aftermath that much more manageable. —Adam Clark Estes
Alexandra Bowman for Vox
Under-covered by national media for too long, Indigenous communities hold some of our society’s most innovative solutions to climate change. Faced with the threat of sea level rise, the Shinnecock Nation has an ambitious strategy of buying back land that was forcibly taken from them. Their effort to reclaim their ancestral territories is radical in the context of history but by regaining control over their land, the Shinnecock are not only securing a buffer against rising seas but also reasserting their cultural sovereignty. The story reveals how the tribe’s quest to restore justice offers a model for other Indigenous communities grappling with dispossession and climate change.
The feature is part of a multipart series exploring Indigenous solutions in the face of extreme weather and climate change, including the power of Indigenous food systems and the importance of fire management techniques practiced for millennia by Indigenous people that promote healthy forests and reduce catastrophic wildfires. The entire series is well worth your time. —Paige Vega
What’s not to like about a school bus? They’re yellow, friendly, always down for a field trip. However, the vehicles that ferry our kids to school also tend to be terrible in terms of emissions, due to their aging diesel engines. They’re also a fantastic candidate for electrification, which is exactly why some school districts are converting their entire fleets into EVs. This year, Oakland, California, became the first to deploy an all-electric fleet of school buses, with the vehicles’ batteries also giving power back to the grid when they’re not moving.
There are half-a-million school buses on the road, comprising the largest public transportation system in the United States. And with electric school buses costing about $350,000 a piece, replacing every vehicle is a huge task. Thanks to the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the federal government is providing $5 billion for the conversion, and many states are offering funding of their own. It will take years to replace all of the diesel buses on the road, but the electric buses should pay for themselves, since they can operate at a fraction of the cost of their fossil fuel-powered counterparts. An added bonus: They’re much quieter, which is great for post-field trip chats. —ACE
This year, Mexico inaugurated a former climate scientist as its president. Claudia Sheinbaum campaigned on maintaining and advancing many of the policies of her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. However, she also emphasized she wants Mexico to transition to cleaner energy. It’s a tall order given that Mexico’s government still depends on revenue from its national oil company, the country’s power grid is deteriorating, and Sheinbaum has promised to keep energy affordable for ordinary Mexicans. But Mexico has extraordinary potential for clean energy across wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power and now has the political will to harness it. —UI
This year, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, marine biologist and co-founder of the nonprofit think tank Urban Ocean Lab, rose as one of the most influential voices on how we might collectively address climate change without falling into despair or getting mired in false hope. Her new book, What If We Get it Right?, is not blindly optimistic. The point isn’t that everything is fine. The point is that we have to act as though the future is a place we actually want to live in — not centuries into the distant future but now and in the decades to come.
According to Johnson, there are already many concrete climate solutions. If we were motivated by a belief in a better tomorrow, not a worse one, we would implement more of those solutions (and find new ones). If you’re someone looking for inspiration, or reasons to feel hopeful — or, even better, for guidance on what to do and where to start — start with our conversation with Johnson. —PV
Cat Willett for Vox
A perennial question on the climate beat is: Is there anything I can do to help address climate change?
It makes sense: For those who grasp the science of climate change and see the inability of government action to address it, it can feel pretty hopeless. Climate change is such a systemic issue — not one that any single person can solve on their own. But in addition to the major, systemic change we need, there are simple things that any person can incorporate into our daily lives — such as eating 10 percent less meat — that can add up and have the potential to make a huge difference.
Vox contributor Cat Willet explored the potential of rewilding — a movement that encompasses efforts on wide swaths of landscape and can include things like returning apex predators like grizzly bears back to an ecosystem. Cat’s comic puts rewilding in the context of an urban lifestyle. She looks to the concept for lessons on what small things all of us can do, such as plant native flowers or vegetables or grasses, in our own backyards or even on our apartment balconies, to be more mindful of the nature that surrounds us. I found her story inspiring and approachable. —PV
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