🌱 The Grumpy Optimists #149
The last Grumpy Optimist of 2025...
Happy Monday. 👋
Welcome to the final Grumpy Optimist newsletter of the year before I take a few weeks away for Christmas and a trip to the Alps in January.
Fun fact, I’m flying there (£80 with British Airways) but getting the train back (£225!!!). It just goes to show how many people might take the slow travel route if the price was a tad more even. Anyway, this week there’s some good news on night trains and plenty more.
To everyone who celebrates, I hope you have a great Christmas and to all a happy New Year. I’m incredibly grateful for the ongoing love and support from people after bringing this blog back. I’m excited for 2026 and I hope you are too.
👀 News to make you feel good this week
🌍 Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025. This BBC piece highlights underreported progress across climate policy, ecosystem restoration and conservation. The wins span renewable energy quietly overtaking coal in parts of the world, major steps forward on ocean protection, wildlife recoveries, landmark legal opinions on climate responsibility, and real-world ecosystem restoration already delivering results.
🌬️ Green light for wind farm to power one million homes. The UK has approved a major offshore wind farm capable of powering around one million homes after regulators concluded the climate and energy benefits outweigh environmental concerns. It marks another step forward for large-scale renewables as grid demand continues to grow.
🇧🇷 Brazil commits to rapid energy roadmap deadline. Brazil has set ambitious deadlines for expanding renewables and upgrading its energy system. The plans signal serious intent from a country that plays an outsized role in both energy and biodiversity.
⚡ Samsung offers free electricity to households that cut usage. Samsung is partnering with energy providers to offer free or discounted electricity to customers who buy certain appliances and connect them to smart energy platforms. The schemes are designed to lower bills while shifting demand away from peak periods.
💭 My thoughts? This works because it aligns incentives. It’s also a great way to get more efficient items while also reaping benefits. Kudos for Samsung on this and helping minimise their downstream emissions.
📊 New York mandates GHG reporting for large emitters from 2027. New York has finalised regulations requiring large emitters to report their greenhouse gas emissions annually from 2027. The rule underpins the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and is designed to improve transparency, accountability and enforcement as emissions limits tighten.
🏦 BlackRock loses €5.9bn mandate over ESG stance. Dutch pension fund PME has pulled a €5.9bn mandate from BlackRock, citing concerns that the asset manager’s ESG approach no longer aligns with its sustainability ambitions. The decision reflects growing scrutiny from asset owners over whether managers are backing climate commitments with action.
🚆 European Sleeper launches night train to Milan and Switzerland. European Sleeper is expanding its night train network with a new route linking cities including Amsterdam, Brussels, Switzerland and Milan from 2026. It offers a lower-carbon alternative to short-haul flights while making overnight rail genuinely viable again.
💭 My thoughts? As I mentioned above, night trains are great, but they just need to be cheap enough to make sense. The company is currently fundraising to help create more routes too.
🛰️ Satellites help tackle landfill methane leaks. Satellite technology is making it easier to detect methane leaks from landfill sites in near real time. Better measurement means faster fixes for one of the most potent greenhouse gases.
🦜 Chile moves to create national park at edge of world. Chile plans to create a new national park protecting vast subantarctic forests, peatlands and coastline at the southern tip of South America. Covering a large stretch of Patagonia, the move will safeguard endangered species and strengthen long-term conservation efforts.
🦊 Abandoned oil refineries are becoming unlikely havens for wildlife. As industrial sites are abandoned, wildlife is reclaiming some former oil refineries, turning them into unexpected biodiversity hotspots. It is a reminder of nature’s resilience when given space.
📹 Videos to watch
🎥 The water bottle trend has gone too far. One of my favourite YouTubers, Matt D’Avella, looks at how the water bottle trend has shifted from sustainability to lifestyle excess. It shows that even sustainable items or products can get caught up in the world of overconsumption. A great video to highlight how crazy the world is.
That’s all from me folks. This week’s music recommendation is actually a delightfully peaceful guitar video. Here’s to wishing I could play an instrument.
George, the Grumpy Optimist 💚