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While 2024, the warmest year on record, has been a pretty dark year for climate change, there have been several notable bright spots that may give the planet a glimmer of hope on the horizon.
1. Coal use is plummeting in the US and around the world
Growth in global demand for coal has slowed considerably this year, according to a report from theInternational Energy Agency.
Demand is expected to grow 1 percent to a record high of 8.77 billion tons this year. But for comparison, coal consumption rose 7.7% in 2021, 4.7% in 2022 and 2.4% in 2023.
The agency forecast that international demand for the resource could level off by 2027. Whether the break-even point is reached this year depends on China, which currently consumes 30 percent more coal than the rest of the world, according to the report
But one country in particular stood out for its 2024 efforts to cut the coal cord: the United Kingdom. The UK officially shut down its last coal-fired power station on 1 October.
“The UK led the coal-fueled industrial revolution more than 250 years ago and is now demonstrating the feasibility of a 21st century clean energy transformation,” said Jennifer Layke, global director of energy at the World Resources Instituteat the time “The UK’s phasing out of coal power is a good example for others and marks an important step towards phasing out the use of coal entirely.”
2. Initiatives to revitalize faltering rivers are making great progress, with key support from tribes
The United States marked several important river restoration milestones in 2024. Among the most monumental of these were the completed removal of California’s large Klamath dams in October The removal of these barricades, the largest infrastructure undertaking in US history, paves the way for a Klamath River rehabilitation project.
That work will involve reviving about 2,200 acres of formerly submerged land, while allowing fish populations to swim freely, according to the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
Members of tribal nations in the area had fought for decades to remove the dams, which were located on the ancestral lands of the Yurok, Karuk and Klamath communities near the California-Oregon border.
Meanwhile, in early December, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D)issued an executive orderordering state agencies to take immediate action to safeguard the declining Columbia River salmon population. Inslee emphasized his state’s commitment to collaborating on restoration initiatives with indigenous peoples in the area, including the Oregon and Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation , the Nez Perce Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm. Springs, known collectively as the “Six Sovereigns”.
3. Private investment in electric vehicles and renewable energy has increased throughout the country
Private investments in the US clean energy and transportation sectors maintained a record growth rate in the third quarter of 2024, reaching $71 billion and a 12% increase compared to the same period of the year past according to a recent report.
Net investments accounted for 5 percent of all U.S. private investment in structures, equipment and consumer durables, up from 4.5 percent now in 2023, according to the report, released by the provider of ‘independent research Rhodium Group.
However, the authors expressed some concern that despite increased investments in clean electricity, in part driven and encouraged by the Inflation Reduction Act, the country may not be able to meet its reduction targets emissions by 40 percent by 2030.
4. Networks have gained more support for building resilience
The United States made numerous strides in 2024 to make its electricity grids much more resilient. The Department of Energy has invested 473.6 million dollars this fiscal year in grid resiliency grants for states and tribal nations.
Among themaximum recipientswas the California Energy Resources Development and Conservation Commission, which awarded a $39.2 million grant that brought its total funds to $67.5 million, including grants received in 2022 and 2023 Also among the big benefactors was the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which received a $27.2 million grant. which brought his total of such awards to $60.6 million.
California’s power lines have been strained by several seasons of devastating wildfires, while Texas’ isolated grid has been battered by extreme weather in recent years.
Meanwhile, the Department of Energy’s Office of Loan Programs in mid-December announced conditional approval of a loan guarantee for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) of up to $15 billion. These funds would serve to decarbonize the operations of the large California company and increase the reliability of the network.
PG&E has been undertaking major grid upgrades following a company reorganization in July 2020, after its power lines sparked a deadly fire in 2018.
5. US greenhouse gas emissions are falling, slightly
Greenhouse gases emitted by the US, which is responsible for 13 percent of global emissions,could decrease0.6 percent by 2024, University of Exeter researchers projected in arecent report. According to the report, China’s emissions, which account for 32% of the global total, could see a marginal increase of 0.2% or even a fall. Greenhouse gas emissions from the European Union, which account for 7% of the planet’s total, are expected to be reduced by 3.8% by 2024.
However, this good news comes with a caveat: Global emissions are still rising, and emissions from different types of fossil fuels are expected to rise.
“While gradual reductions in emissions are occurring in some countries, increases are continuing in others,” said co-author Glen Peters of the CICERO Center for International Climate Research in Oslo. in a statement at the time of publication of the report. “Progress in all countries must accelerate fast enough to put global emissions on a downward trajectory toward net zero.”
