Climate change is a big challenge and requires action at a large scale by all levels of government and business.

The good news is that we’re not alone! Governments, local authorities, communities, cities, businesses, schools, and other organisations recognise the urgency and are taking action. Fighting like our lives depend on it; because they do.

There are many reasons to feel that we are at a critical turning point and creating a positive vision for the future and engaged in shaping it, rather than feeling disempowered.

You’ll discover the many ways people, technology, and momentum have come together at a critical time, and the solutions that have great potential to make a huge impact to resolve a problem of this scale and severity. 

Being positive and hopeful is an important way to combat climate change. The more we articulate the ability to get to that place, the more likely we are to be inspired and take the action needed.

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UK goes more than 100 hours without using coal power for first time in a century

Britain went more than four days without using coal-fired power to generate its electricity. It’s the first time the nation has been powered for so long without the fossil fuel since the world’s first coal-fired power station for public use was opened in London in 1882.

 

A spokesperson for the National Grid Electricity System Operator said: “As more and more renewables come onto our energy system this will increasingly seem like the ‘new normal. We believe that by 2025 we will be able to fully operate Great Britain’s electricity system with zero carbon.”

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UK sets new records for wind generation

The UK has also set new records for wind generation, and now that subsidy-free solar generation has proven possible, there are plans for the UK’s largest solar farm to provide the cheapest electricity on the grid. 

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Renewable energy set up faster than ever

2018 saw the largest annual increase in global renewable generation capacity ever, with new solar photovoltaic capacity outstripping additions in coal, natural gas and nuclear power combined. Here’s the full report.  

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Tesla Powerwall

Tesla might be known primarily for its electric vehicles, but it’s also quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the energy management sector.

 

The company’s need to develop batteries for electric cars has also made it a pioneer in power storage and renewable energy. Designed to store energy in times of low demand and release it in times of peak demand, the Tesla’s Powerwall saves money, and eases pressure off the National Grid. 

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Landmark global plastic waste pact

Nearly every country in the world has agreed upon a legally binding framework to reduce the pollution from plastic waste according to United Nations environmental officials. The pact was approved by 187 countries, but not by the US. 

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Cement giant pledges carbon neutral concrete by 2050The world’s fourth largest cement company has just pledged to bring its emission reduction targets in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement; a first for the industry. HeidelbergCement, who employs some 58,000 people across 60 countries, committed to slash direct emissions by 15 per cent per tonne of its products by 2030 from 2016 levels.

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Costa Rica plans to be first plastic-free and carbon-free country in worldCosta Rica is setting itself an aim of becoming the first country to be plastic and carbon-free by 2021. This huge target will see the country ban all carbons and single-use plastics and, if implemented in time, will make them the first country to be carbon and single-use plastic free in the world.

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Chernobyl fights against climate change

Three decades ago, the world experienced its worst nuclear accident to date. The damaged Chernobyl nuclear power plant released large quantities of radioactive material into the environment. But Chernobyl is now home to an amazing diversity of wildlife, its forests are expanding, and the future of the region is looking positive. 

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The man who built his own rainforest

Few stories are as inspirational as this one about 83-year-old Antonio Vicente who has dedicated the past forty years of his life to reforesting the precious natural ecosystems of Brazil.

 

Today, his efforts are being rewarded, as the completely stripped land he began planting trees on 40 years ago, has become a beautiful jungle teeming with tropical wildlife once again. 

 

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Incredible Edible

From its inception, Incredible Edible shows how ordinary people can transform their own landscapes and turned disused plots into abundant sources of healthy food. Working with whoever is willing, they create powerful connections through food, which lead people to believe that when we act together each of us is stronger for it. It’s really, well, rather incredible! 

 

The Riverford box scheme

Riverford, one of the country’s first and biggest vegetable box delivery schemes, began when Guy Watson started delivering vegetables locally to 30 friends in Devon. The employee-owned company now deliver around 47,000 boxes a week to homes around the UK from its four regional farms all growing, packing and delivering vegboxes locally. 

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 The Knepp Estate

Knepp, a 3,500-acre farm based in West Sussex, was once a conventional dairy and arable operation. When Knepp’s owners, Charlie Burrell and Isabella Tree realised that intensive farming on the heavy Sussex clay was economically ruinous, they stepped back and let nature take over.

 

Introducing free-roaming grazing animals - cattle, ponies, pigs and deer – drives the regeneration of the degraded agricultural land, which has become a functioning ecosystem again. Its focus on rewilding has prompted successful spin off enterprises. The farmland is now profitable. 

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Pollinator parks

This project supports the survival of struggling pollinating insect populations. Run by Climate Action North, the Pollinator Park project plants British native ‘pollinator-friendly’ wildflowers, on land otherwise disused, to introduce safe havens to support the survival of struggling pollinating insect populations, such as butterflies and bees. 

 

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Refill campaign

Refill is a grassroots movement designed to help reduce plastic pollution at source by making it easier to reuse and refill your bottle with tap water rather than buy a new one. The Refill app is used to find local Refill Stations that welcome passers-by to top up their water bottles. Water great idea! 

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A mobilising force for climate action

The Extinction Rebellion direct action movement’s acknowledgement of personal and collective despair in the face of environmental collapse might be a very positive move indeed. Pain usefully alerts us to problems that need our attention, and, in the case of climate change and species loss, our grief is a sign that we care deeply. For many, the movement has given them permission to grieve, and to share this grief with others. And this could be the most mobilising force for climate action yet. 

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How scientists are radically changing how they live to cope with climate change

The most important thing I’ve done is restructure my life to tell as many people in as efficient and effective ways as I can,” one scientist said. “It is real. It is us. It is serious and there are solutions if we act now.” Here’s how climate scientists are, and aren’t, changing their lives.

 

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This is just a glimpse of the positive action being taken. There's much more going on – why not share your stories with us and keep the positivity going?

 

Now check out our tools and tips, get inspired even more and take practical action yourself!

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