🌱 The Grumpy Optimists #141
Renewables overtake coal use for the first time ever and I go on an urban foraging walk - not sure what's more optimistic?
Happy Monday. 👋
First off, thank you to everyone who commented or messaged last week to say they’re glad the blog is back and that I’m doing well.
I really appreciate it. Some of the messages were so kind. Was I getting emotional in the office at 10am? Yes. Do I care? Not at all.
And if you didn’t message, don’t worry, reading this is enough. But I do know who you are…
This weekend I tried something new: an urban foraging course at Alexandra Palace.
Learning about all the edible plants within metres of paths I’ve walked countless times was genuinely fascinating, and slightly alarming when I realised how many were in serious dog wee territory.
If you’re curious, here’s the link to the company I did it with. I highly recommend giving it a go. It would make a brilliant Christmas present (thanks Mum).
My main takeaway was that once you start paying attention to what’s around you, every walk turns into a mini adventure.
My big takeaway was that understanding the landscape around you makes every walk more fascinating. I’m also fully prepared to be unbearable to my friends next time we’re out and I start pointing at plants like I’m on Springwatch.
Anyway, enough about me. Let’s get into some good climate news for the week.
👀 News to make you feel good this week
🧊 Can geo-engineering really protect the Arctic? Scientists say a bold no and warn it could be dangerous. Ideas like thickening sea ice or releasing particles into the atmosphere sound appealing but are likely too expensive and ineffective. The real solution remains simple: emissions reduction and decarbonisation.
🤗 Resource library for climate anxiety launches. After I mentioned my own struggles last week (not climate-related, thankfully), a wonderful subscriber shared a great resource for anyone dealing with climate anxiety. If you, a friend, or a colleague are feeling worried about the planet, this is a brilliant place to start.
👏🏻 Renewables surpass coal as the leading source of electricity for the first time GLOBALLY. Renewable energy overtook coal as the world’s leading source of electricity in the first half of 2025 according to data from Ember. Most interestingly, solar and wind met 100% of global demand growth, even driving small declines in coal and gas use.
Solar is the standout: it supplied 83% of demand growth, and over half of global solar generation now comes from lower-income countries. Prices for solar PV have fallen a whopping 99.9% since 1975, fuelling a surge in adoption from ‘sun belt’ countries like Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria.
A key takeaway that also marks this as a historical turning point is that the clean energy transition is no longer led by the US/EU but it’s now global. The unit economics make sense, it’s just a game of policy changes and speed of install. That’s positive news.
🚶♀️US cities could be slowly breaking up with cars. Across America, urban planners are rethinking car dependency. Cities like Houston, Phoenix, and Chicago are pivoting to walkable, transit-first design — cutting parking minimums, expanding public transport, and reclaiming space for people. These changes are driven by climate targets, congestion, and the push for safer, healthier streets.
Chicago plans to scrap parking minimums to make denser, more affordable housing possible. In New York, congestion pricing introduced in early 2025 has already cut traffic and improved air quality. Meanwhile, Tempe’s car-free neighbourhood Culdesac is showing what post-car living can look like.
🌿 Wicken Fen first to record 10,000 individual species. The National Trust’s Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire, its oldest reserve bought in 1899 for £10, has officially recorded 10,000 species after discovering the six-belted clearwing moth.
Once just two acres, the reserve now spans around 2,026 and is the most biodiverse recorded site in the UK. Over its history, 13 species new to science have been discovered there. Biodiversity has surged thanks to habitat expansion, warmer temperatures, and DNA-based monitoring.
🔋 Join the charge. Base power raises $1bn to build the future of US power. Austin-based Base Power raised $1 billion to grow its home battery network across the U.S. Founded in 2023, it installs batteries that back up homes and feed energy to the grid, cutting bills and easing pressure during peak demand. The reason for featuring this is their tagline of “Join the charge” and the unreal picture below. I love watching climate look cool af.
🎓 First UK-accredited carbon accounting courses to launch. The Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) has launched the UK’s first accredited carbon accounting framework, paving the way for recognised qualifications and a new Register of Carbon Accountants and Auditors (RCAA) in 2026.
💭 My thoughts: As somebody who works in the industry and knows the challenges of carbon accounting this feels like a big milestone for the industry.
That’s all from me this week folks. I’m writing this in a glorious suntrap of a coffee shop in central London feeling like I could be in a sauna. My song recommendation this week feels like a throwback to my 16 year old self and enjoying Netsky, but here it is.
I also got a delightful shoutout from the scope 3 peer group podcast who perfectly explain what it means to be a grumpy optimist.
George, the Grumpy Optimist 💚