For climate campaigners, it was a terrifying sight. Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention, shouting the words: "We will drill, baby, drill." Now he has appointed an oil and gas businessman as the next US Energy Secretary. ¹

At the same time, 2024 has been the warmest year on record, with the planet on track to exceed a temperature increase of 2C.²

But 2024 saw some good news:

Eastern sunrise. China added 160GW of solar power capacity to its grid, roughly 10% of the world's total solar installations!³ The country also activated the world's largest offshore solar park, meeting the energy needs of 2.6 million people.⁴

Rainforest revival. Brazil plans to restore 30 million acres of degradedReduced in quality. land. Much of this is attempting to replace the Amazon rainforest: the most biodiverseRich in biological diversity. habitat on the planet.⁵

Ocean rescue. Australia has promised to expand its sub-Antarctic marine park by 300,000km. Australia's energy minister called this "a huge environmental win for the world". ⁶

Baby beaver. Last year four beavers were released into the wild in Northumberland. This year the mother gave birth to the first beaver born in northern England in 400 years.⁷

Compulsory composting. In France, composting food waste is now "obligatoire". If rolled out across the EU, it could mean 40 million tonnes of potential soil nutrients collected each year.⁸

Holy solar. Vatican City will become the eighth country in the world generating all its energy from renewable sources. Pope Francis hopes to encourage Catholics to combat the "perniciousHarmful. " consequences of climate change.⁹

Saving the savanna. In September, 11 African nations joined forces to protect the Miombo corridor, a precious natural habitat covering a million square miles. The President of Mozambique calls it "one of Africa's most vital ecosystems".¹⁰

Could science save our planet?

Yes: From installing record levels of solar power to generating energy from unwanted food, this year made it clear that scientific innovation matched with popular support can slow and possibly even reverse environmental destruction.

No: Few people oppose policies that increase the use of renewable energy or help to restore biodiversity. But these cannot hide the fact that carbon emissions keep rising, global temperatures too, and the next US president plans to drill for more oil.

Or... There may be more bad than good news on the environment, but despair is not the answer. Focusing on positive stories will inspire more people to repair the damage that humans have caused.