2024 Likely Hottest Year on Record, But There Was Good Environmental News, Too

Thought Question: If you could make one big change to help protect the Earth, what would it be and why?

Environmental news over the past year may have seemed dire. There have been wildfires, flooding, and drought. The world is getting warmer, too. That, and global climate talks keep hitting snags as world leaders debate how to best address climate issues.   

Yet the world did manage to make some climate progress in 2024, the BBC reports. Among the breakthroughs the BBC hailed are:   

The end of coal in the UK. The United Kingdom’s last power plant that burns coal closed in September. It signaled a major shift. The island nature is moving toward power sources that are more carbon neutral.    

Renewable power broke records. China led major growth in solar and wind power. It helped the world’s capacity for sustainable, low-carbon electricity surge last year. April marked a key turning point. Global wind power generation surpassed coal-burning power for the first time ever.   

Increased safeguards for habitats. Climate activists secured “personhood” status for certain habitats. They did so using a novel legal approach. It means at-risk settings in Ecuador, Brazil, and elsewhere will be better guarded from pollution, poaching, and other threats.    

Amazon deforestation declined. Rainforest loss along the Amazon River in Brazil fell to a nine-year low. 

Biodiversity took center stage. Researchers reviewed more than 660 conservation trials. They found that more than two-thirds had been successful. They include the rebound of Kazakhstan's Saiga antelope. Their numbers had fallen to 20,000 in 2003. Now, 2.86 million roam the country’s Golden Steppe grasslands.   

Gif of Amazon rainforest from GIPHY.