Being bombarded by extreme weather events on the news can lead people towards climate anxiety; 70 % of the UK’s children are worried about the world they will inherit. This is according to a survey conducted by Save the Children in 2022. To combat this and give them a balance of news its super important to find something positive to talk about.
Here are 3 good news stories to cheer you up.
Number one
We are getting greener……in the 12 months up to July this year, 41.8% of the UK energy mix was from renewables. Source National Grid.
Information from the National Grid is not something any normal person would look at regularly. But, if you did you would find a story of positive change.
10 years ago the percentage of energy from renewable energy was only 10.7%.
If we keep increasing the amount of wind and solar (renewable energy backed up by battery storage), we are on track to decarbonise our power grid by 2035 . Technology is improving all the time. Hopefully new housing developments will automatically be set up with a sustainable infrastructure from the get go.
Number Two
Another good news story is that after disappearing 400 years ago, nearly 1,000 beavers are living wild in the rivers and streams of Britain. They were introduced in Argyll, Perthshire and Devon, now have legal status and are successfully increasing in numbers each year.
Beavers are an important part of a rivers’ ecosystem. If the clamping down on some water companies appalling treatment of rivers around the UK takes effect, we could see this population spread which would be a real win for eco diversity.
Number Three
The ozone hole is healing. It’s on track to be back to pre 1980 levels by 2045 in the Arctic and 2066 in the Antarctic. This is all thanks to a global agreement protecting the stratosphere. The phasing out of production and consumption of ozone depleting substances has helped avoid global warming by an estimated 0.5C (A 2022 United Nations report)
This combination of legislation and public awareness has proved that we can make big things happen on a global scale.
Be positive
It’s super important to keep calling out progress and good news. Otherwise it’s all too tempting to just stay under the duvet!
If we all keep doing the small things and making the right choices when we can, the big things will follow. Our kids need to see us keeping the faith and they definitely need to hear some cheer!
So, keep on walking rather than jumping in the car, keep buying roll on deodorant, refurbished and second hand, back renewable energy and look for teeth marks on trees!
Liked this? HERE is an article on easy ways to make savings on energy..