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What Makes the UN Climate Chief Simon Stiell Optimistic?
Commentary by Victor Perton
In an age of climate anxiety and geopolitical tension, I asked Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the question at the heart of the Centre for Optimism community and the movement for infectious optimism we are building together.
“What makes you optimistic in 2026 and beyond?”
Simon told me:
“In 2026 and beyond, our optimism is grounded in what we can already measure. UN-convened cooperation has shifted the trajectory: without it, the world would be headed for up to 5°C of warming. Today the curve has bent below 3°C—still far too high, but proof cooperation delivers.
“At the same time, the economics are moving. In 2024, around $2 trillion flowed into renewables, about double that of fossil fuel investment. In that same year, 90% of new power installations worldwide were renewable, which now generate a larger share of global power than coal. For the first time, renewable energy is cheaper than any other alternative. That’s progress.
“And even amid geopolitical tension, 194 countries stood firm for climate cooperation and reaffirmed that this transition is irreversible - that’s the basis for our optimism. But there is more we must do. Strengthening cooperation and increasing ambition are the only way to keep moving towards our shared goals.”
Simon Stiell is a most interesting person. He has served as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change since August 2022. Previously, he was a senior minister in the Government of Grenada, responsible for Climate Resilience and the Environment.. Simon served as senior minister in the Government of Grenada, holding the portfolio of Minister for Climate Resilience and the Environment.
We need more realistic and infectious climate optimists. Pessimism paralyses. Optimism mobilises. The most respected thinkers on climate change advocate disciplined optimism because it drives innovation and creativity.
I have spoken with global leaders, scientists, innovators, and changemakers. What unites the most inspiring among them is a clear-eyed understanding of difficulty and a deep-seated belief in possibility. Climate optimism is disciplined belief grounded in evidence. It fuels action, innovation, and transformation.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and Nobel Laureates alike point to a simple truth. Fear may awaken urgency. Optimism sustains momentum. Optimism unlocks ingenuity, catalyses collaboration, and empowers people to act boldly rather than freeze in despair.
Optimism invites us to imagine a better climate future and take real steps toward it. It is the clarity to see the problems and the confidence to believe we can solve them.
We face the urgency clearly. We choose purpose. That is climate optimism.
And I would love to hear from you. What makes you optimistic?
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