With news of oil giant BP scaling back its green energy investment and Kemi Badenoch railing against net-zero, just three years after gushing that it’s an ‘opportunity’ for ‘growth’ and ‘future-proofing,’ it can be easy to feel despondent about the state of our climate. But don’t be.
Unbeknownst to many, the UK is already halfway towards reaching net-zero.
Climate Optimism
This glimmer of hope, which should have made headlines in February, was swiftly smothered by scaremongering and doom-heralding. So perhaps what we all need is a little bit of climate optimism.
Instead of the perpetual doom and gloom surrounding the climate crisis that we have become accustomed to, climate optimism is a relatively new school of thought that believes every milestone towards saving our planet deserves to be celebrated.
One of its best-known faces is Hannah Ritchie, Lead Researcher at Our World in Data and author of the 2024 bestseller Not the End of the World, which details how we can live sustainably. The title of her novel has drawn criticism from those who believe she means to downplay the devastating impact of climate change.
I decided to ask her about this:
‘What I mean is, “No, we will not let this be the end of the world,”’ she explains. ‘These are big problems, but we can tackle them.
‘We have really good solutions now. They’re cheap, they’re effective. We need to build on them.’
Ritchie advocates for ‘cautious optimism,’ which is not about being ignorant of what progress we still need to make; it’s about acknowledging that positive change, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction. According to the World Economic Forum, ‘informed optimism is key for effective climate response.’ And what better time to champion this way of thinking than on the week of Earth Day?
Renewable Revolution
A report published last month revealed that renewable energy provided over half of the UK’s electricity for the first time in 2024. This was due to record levels of power generated by solar PV, bioenergy and onshore wind, as well as the closure of our last coal power station in September 2024.
Despite being incredibly promising news, this revelation has not received as much attention as it deserves. Many of us (myself included, before I started searching for this article) are still under the impression that we get the majority of our power from oil and gas, and that green energy can do little to substitute it. You can see why that is. Politicians perpetuate this pessimistic narrative by U-turning on climate commitments or calling for windfall taxes on renewable energy sources. But that is not what science is telling us.
In reality, the UK has consistently invested in green energy and reduced its reliance on fossil fuels year on year. And for good reason. Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, are derived from fossil fuels and are present in a vast range of industries, from building to transport to agriculture. Once released, these emissions trap the sun’s heat within our atmosphere, causing our planet to heat up and giving rise to all the negative consequences that come with it.
One of the main highlights was an uptick in bioenergy, an unsung climate hero. It may not be widely recognised amongst the general public, but bioenergy’s potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the greatest of all renewable energy sources. Derived from plant and animal waste (known as biomass), bioenergy generation in the UK rose by a record 18 per cent in 2024. These developments should be cause for celebration, but a lack of reporting around the subject means that many are oblivious to bioenergy’s potential to say ‘hasta la vista’ to fossil fuels for good.
Halfway to Net-Zero
Another piece of good news is that, as I have previously mentioned, the UK is halfway towards achieving net-zero, with emissions having dropped 54 per cent between 1990 and 2024. The renewable revolution has contributed greatly to the UK’s progress. During this last leg, though, households will be expected to alter their lifestyle habits. This may include eating less meat and opting for an electric car. Whilst this may seem like the end of the world for someone who loves a good kebab or the roar of a petrol car’s engine, these alterations are not as cumbersome as they have been made out to be.
Take electric vehicles, for example. EVs get a bad rep, with many believing them to be expensive and inconvenient. However, these views are based on outdated assumptions, caused by information gaps between producers and consumers. Surprisingly, EVs are 50 per cent cheaper to run than petrol cars. In addition, there is a common misconception that there are not enough charging points to be able to use these vehicles for long distances, which dissuades consumers from buying electric cars. In actuality, the number of EV charging points in the UK rose by 25 per cent last year, and the speed with which electric cars can recharge has improved greatly.
Negative misconceptions are quelling climate optimism and preventing people from realising the full potential of EVs. The same can be said for net-zero in general. Despite some politicians’ claims that net-zero is ‘impossible’ and will ‘bankrupt’ us, evidence shows that achieving net-zero is not only ‘affordable and feasible,’ but will also cut household costs by £1,400 a year. ‘Continued dependence on gas could be as expensive fiscally as completing the transition to net-zero,’ says the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility.
Climate optimism is the most effective way to reach the UK’s net-zero commitments, inspiring us to continue pursuing green energy, not through fear, but with hope for a better future. Downplaying our progress and adopting a ‘we’re doomed anyway’ attitude risks spreading a sense of hopelessness which could impede our chances of reaching net-zero.
We must learn to celebrate our environmental achievements, alongside highlighting the disappointments and shortcomings. Let the encouraging statistics be a reminder of how far we have already come, and of the exciting opportunities that await us.
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