Positive Environmental Developments: Solar Power and Wildlife Comebacks

In December 2025, the Nobel Committee faced pressure to establish a Prize dedicated to climate change, with Tree-planting search engine Ecosia depositing one million euros with a notary in Berlin to help create the endowment for the prize.

In November 2025, after years of failed searches, one of the planet's rarest whales, the ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, was finally spotted in the wild off Mexico's northwestern Baja California. A concept called imagination activism, coined by Phoebe Tickell, suggests that the absence of a creative, collective vision is a significant hurdle in addressing climate change.

Meanwhile, Hamna Silima Nyange from Tanzania's Zanzibar archipelago, like many locals, gained access to electricity thanks to solar panels installed by her neighbor, Tatu Omary Hamad. In October 2025, tens of millions of red crabs migrated to the ocean on Christmas Island, aided by local residents using leaf blowers and rakes to facilitate their journey.

Amidst ongoing devastation from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, conservation efforts are emerging as a symbol of resilience to help nature recover post-war. The Salish Sea experiment transformed undersea cables into giant microphones for whale research, while green sea turtles were officially reclassified from endangered to least concern, marking a significant conservation success.

The bumblebee populations in the UK are being supported through studies indicating that solar farms can be beneficial for their conservation. Worldwide, solar and wind power generation surpassed electricity demand this year, leading to renewable energies producing more power than coal for the first time on record.

A study from the University of Surrey confirmed solar energy as the cheapest source of power, outperforming other renewables, coal, and gas. In a prestigious ceremony, Heilbronn, Germany, was named the green capital at the European Green Cities Awards for 2027, receiving a staggering one million euros in sustainability grants.

In Athens, residents have taken the initiative to look after beehives on their rooftops, contributing to urban biodiversity. A collaboration involving researchers from Anglia Ruskin University and Nature's SAFE is investigating cryopreservation to protect Britain's largest native butterfly.

In June 2025, Poland's renewable energy sources generated 44.1 percent of electricity, surpassing coal and lignite at 43.7 percent for the first time in history, as reported by the Energy Forum. A new reusable cup system in Lisbon aims to combat plastic waste, and innovative projects across Europe are utilizing offshore wind farms for seaweed cultivation.

The world generated over 40 percent of its electricity from low-carbon sources last year, marking a significant achievement in the transition to clean energy. In February 2025, India reported a doubling of its tiger population, attributing this success to concerted conservation efforts.

The closure of a coal power plant in Finland brings the country closer to a complete coal phase-out, with power utility company Helen decommissioning its Salmisaari plant on April 1, 2025. The global transition to renewable energy continues to gain momentum, with solar power leading the charge as a vital solution in the fight against climate change.