Climate Optimism

Youssef Nassef, Climate Adaptation Director, UNFCCC

"What makes me optimistic? I believe in the ability of humankind to imminently reverse the degradation of its interface with nature - an imperative condition for our continued existence on Earth."

Sir James Bevan, then Chief Executive of the United Kingdom's Environment Agency, in "Facing the fear of fear itself: the case for climate optimism."

"My case for climate optimism is simple: we know what the problem is; we know what we have to do to solve it; we have started to do it; and if we keep on doing it we will succeed – not just in ending the climate emergency but in building a better world too."

Jacinda Ardern, former PM of New Zealand

"You may well argue that, based on our current trajectory, now is not the time for optimism. "But if we only talk about the loss of glacier mass or sea level rises we run the risk of a society that believes all is lost and that it is simply too late. "It is not. "No one has the luxury of copping out. Not those who deny climate change, nor those who believe it’s too far gone. Now is the time for optimism and for hope and crucially a plan.”

Antonio Guterres, Secretary General, United Nations

"The vibrant contributions of regions, cities, businesses and investors, and the fact that the public is engaging with governments makes me optimistic that we can reverse the trends of Climate Change"

President Joe Biden

"When I think of climate, I think of jobs. When I think of climate, I think of innovation. When I think of jobs — climate, I think of turning peril into progress. That's why I'm so optimistic about the future. I really am." (June 2023)

Professor Michael Mann

“People ask me how I can possibly be optimistic about prospects for averting dangerous climate change in the face of the obstacles standing in our way.  I tell them it's simple. It's all about the re-engagement of young folks we are witnessing today."

Sarah Lazarovic, Head of Communications and Brand at Rewiring America

 "Why am I an optimist? When it comes to the climate crisis, there is nothing else to be but a clear-eyed optimist. We know what we need to do, we have the tools to do it, and there’s a world full of people who are working towards this beautiful future with overwhelming energy every day."

Claude Fussler, Founding Partner at Académie Durable

"At our core, we all wish to leave a legacy, a better world for our children. So simple initiatives to protect nature, reach out to people, save water and energy are quite effective.  That's what makes me optimistic."

Vicki Barmby,  Manager, Climate Science at the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

"What makes me optimistic? I have been working on climate change for over 20 years. It would be easy for me to look back at that time and think we have not solved it. Instead, I look at what is to come and the small wins along the way that will make the big change that we need to see possible. We are at a tipping point, and that tipping point will see amazing change. I am truly excited about that."

Finn Oldfield

"Embracing radical optimism therefore seems to me like the perfect starting point to assuage our collective climate anxiety – and to help us all form a long-term commitment to climate action. It is a necessary first step to imagining new narratives for our environment – because there is no singular, perfect story to save humankind. And by becoming more optimistic, perhaps we can create our own."

Bruce Davis, Managing Director of Abundance Investment

"Optimism fuels invention. Optimism fuels change. Optimism finds ways to solve problems.  Climate change is a cause that needs optimism."

Imran Ahmad

 “Optimism is what keeps us moving, it helps in achieving our goals and a better society. My work on climate change and sustainability is driven by optimism, a sustainable future for all."

Dr Steven Moffic, Psychiatrist

"I am an optimist about the climate because even with the dire scientific projections and continued denial by politicians and some public, we have the ingenuity to discover safer energy technology and the psychological expertise to further overcome our denial of the climate risks."

Climate Change and Innovation: Opportunities and Optimism

Gonzalo Muñoz Abogabir, United Nations High-Level Climate Action Champion 

Arek Sinanian is the author of A Climate For Denial

"I'm very optimistic about the future of climate change and the global efforts to mitigate it, mainly because I think there is a swell of awareness, a swell of public support for our corporations and governments to act more decisively and more urgently to address this problem. And particularly the young people, they're on board and as they become the leaders of tomorrow I think we're going to see huge changes, and I'm very optimistic. So let's do it. We can and we will."

"I find that I'm generally most optimistic when I'm out in nature. Whether it's the beach, a forest, the bush or a park, this is where I'm able to rejuvenate, to think creatively, to strip back the complexities of everyday life and see the bigger picture. Whilst there are some issues such as climate change that it's harder to be optimistic about, particularly when you're aware of the scale and complexity of it, that doesn't mean it's not possible. I think it's important to find the things that unlock your optimism. For example, I'm energized when I hang out with smart, inspiring people doing important things to tackle climate change. They say that action is the antidote to despair. I'd argue that action, particularly group action, is a manifestation of optimism."

Simon Coveney, Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs at the UN Security Council

"We can and must work in a way that addresses the threats to global peace and security from climate change, enhancing global cooperation as we do so. Climate change challenges all of humanity. But I am optimistic – and drawing from the words of James Joyce: ‘I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today.’ 

Rajiv Joshi, Commissioner of Scotland's Just Transition Commission

“My optimism grows when I remember that we are part of nature, and inspired by her model, we have the capacity to give more than we take from people and planet - to be the Re-generation!”

Katie Patrick

"We need a beautiful optimistic vision of the amazing future we are making. And amongst the onslaught of negative news about our planet, this vision has been painfully missing."

Bill Gates (October 2022)

"Many people look at the environmental challenges our planet faces and see little reason for hope. But I can’t help feeling optimistic that the world has much of what we need to prevent a climate disaster—and we can invent the things we need but don’t have yet.  While our fight against climate change is far from over, I continue to be inspired by the innovative spirit that’s been unleashed across the world to invent the tools we need to stop global warming and avoid the worse effects of climate change."

John Kerry, U.S. climate envoy

"What makes me optimistic is the larger look at the course that we’re on in many ways in terms of the relationship between nations. Fewer people are dying violently than at any time probably in human history. We’ve made enormous progress. If you’re a woman pregnant in the world today, you’re 50 percent more likely to give birth to your child. Your child is 50 percent more likely to be fed and go to school. We’re now on the brink, perhaps, of a first generation of children being born AIDS free. Look what we’re doing with vaccines today in the United States. We will have a vaccine for every person that needs it within a very short span of time.

"So my optimism is that, you know, there are things we’ve done that have made life better despite the fact that we’re on this terrible course in the long run with respect to what we’re doing with the environment. But I think we can turn that around. I think we have proven again and again that when we put our minds to something, we can and will get it done. And I think that’s our record, and I believe in that. And it keeps me feeling optimistic and hopeful about the future."

Crucke Jean-Luc, Ministre Wallon du Budget

“If you really want to combat climate change, the weapon to use that does not result in fatalities is innovation. Counter pessimism with optimism and intelligence. This fuels innovation.”

David Roberts @drvox

“When it comes to climate change, there is no such thing as “game over” or “too late” or “screwed” or “no hope.”

Malcolm Crompton Information Integrity Solutions

"What makes me optimistic is that the next generation may be waking up to the real issues of our time: climate change and the rise in income inequality and demanding action."

Miranda McKearney 

"it's the rising generation that makes me Optimistic - especially their leadership on climate change.”

Elaine Albrich in Climate Change: Optimism Despite the Crisis

"I am optimistic about our ability to combat climate change. The enormous cost and human toll of global warning can no longer be denied or should no longer be accepted. There is a clear roadmap for the actions we need to take in order to mitigate the effects of global warming. And the rapid pace of technology innovation is providing the tools and technology to enable us to take these actions."

Arwa Mahdawi, Guardian columnist in "Yes, the climate crisis is terrifying. But I refuse to abandon hope"

"Antonio Gramsci said that we need the pessimism of the intellect and optimism of the will. Those, I think, are words to live by. We must not delude ourselves about the immense challenges the world faces, but we can’t let anxiety overwhelm and paralyse us. The world isn’t doomed quite yet – there is still a window of opportunity to change things. Particularly as, some well-respected climate scientists point out, we have the technology to save the world. We don’t need to wait for a miracle; we just need the will."

Dr Tara Shine, Environmental scientist and Co-CE of Change by Degrees

"Planning for the long term and enabling people to take climate action now is the most powerful action countries can take to sustain climate optimism, reduce carbon pollution and build resilience to climate impacts."

Courtney Schneider in "MPA students find optimism at climate conference"

 "I’ve returned to the states (from COP27) with renewed optimism for the future and a clear vision of how I, together with individuals, particularly youth around the world, can tackle the climate crisis. The solutions may not be easy, but they do exist.”

At COP27, Lucian Tarnowski told Marc Buckley, "first we must seed radical optimism."

Terry Yosie in "Why I’m becoming a climate optimist."

 "When arrayed against the technological, economic and political forces now in play, I’ve become more of an optimist about humanity’s ability to dodge the more serious climate impacts forecasted for future decades and beyond. My optimism is not a blank check for the political reordering of society or unconstrained spending. Rather, the case for climate optimism deepens when factoring in five fundamental transformations that are already underway and gaining momentum:

Public opinion is embedding climate actions in our political expectations

Critical investments at a greater scale are being made

Government policy is slowly catching up

The private sector is beginning to mobilize more serious decarbonization business plans

The rate of carbon emissions growth is slowing."

Kate Vinot

"What makes me optimistic?  It is how nature always finds a way to spring back to life whatever we do to her."

Imogen Malpas FRSA In "Solarpunk: Why 2023 Must Be the Year of the Sun"

"Built on a foundation of climate optimism, inclusivity, and democracy, solarpunk asks us to actively imagine a future where we save the planet in tandem with the human and non-human communities sharing our soils—with historically marginalized people at the center... There are three elements in the growing body of solarpunk literature that have come to characterize the genre: light, abundance, and transparency. If we can weave these into the roots of solar power generation, we can brighten the world into a sunnier place."

Patrick Gonzalez: Executive Director, UC Berkeley Institute for Parks, People, and Biodiversity

"I am optimistic; it’s science-based optimism. The IPCC results validate this.

"Now, of course, the challenge is substantial. The Intergovernmental Panel reports show that avoiding the most severe consequences of climate change requires us to cut carbon pollution in half by 2030. And to zero by 2050. And every gram of carbon pollution heats the world a little more, pushing us closer to the limit. But the recent report has assessed the evidence and concluded that the needed carbon solutions are available now, they’re cost-effective, and we are able to cut carbon pollution enough to avoid the most extreme heating of climate change."

Shubham Thakur in "What Is Climate Anxiety? Why It Is Affecting GenZ More"

"In simple terms, climate optimism is all about acknowledging climate change and knowing that it can be prevented and mitigated from getting worse than it is at present. It is about realising the prevalence of the climate change crisis but also working to mitigate it simultaneously.

"Climate change activists and people affected by climate anxiety say that it is necessary to believe that climate-positive actions are working and that it is worth fighting for. This belief in climate optimism inspires them to work even harder towards controlling or minimising the negative effects of climate change."

Melanie Nakagawa in an article, "A day in the life of a chief sustainability officer: Q&A with Microsoft’s Melanie Nakagawa."

Ellie Goulding in "Ellie Goulding on climate optimism, taming anxiety and reading Positive News"

“You have to be an optimist, otherwise people get apocalypse fatigue”. 

John de Souza, founder of Ample, in conversation with Anne Therese Gennari

"I am a climate optimist because I see an increasing trend toward electrification and decarbonization of transportation. There's a growing desire for cleaner, sustainable options from individuals and companies, and we're witnessing remarkable innovation in battery tech, EVs, charging infrastructure, and renewable energy."

Anthony Signorelli in "A Few Reasons for Optimism on Climate"

"Among all the dire warnings on climate, many of which are alarming and depressing, there is also reason to be optimistic — creative people and serious amounts of money are behind initiatives to change the world’s energy profile. People, companies, and governments are all working toward solutions. While there are deniers and naysayers, humanity as a whole is starting to get it. That alone is a reason for #\optimism."

Sarah Paiji Yoo, CEO of Blueland

"I am so optimistic. I truly believe that in as little as 20 years we can be in a world where single-use plastic and single-use culture will be a thing of the past. We’ll look back at how wasteful we once were and recognize it’s crazy that we’re trading our planet and our future for the sake of convenience and profits. The bans on plastic straws and bags are really just the beginning; those bans have come into place because people understand the problems with single-use plastic. I see a world where businesses will create more green products as consumers will start demanding more sustainable products. I’m a big believer that doing the right thing will be better for business, generate more revenue, more brand love, and drive higher margins—especially in a world where there will be a tax on carbon and pollution. I’ve seen firsthand how being a sustainable business helps us attract and retain better talent. With those pieces, I think there will be more government policy and legislation banning single-use plastic. We’re already seeing extensive bans across a wide range of single-use plastics in Canada, the EU, the UK., Australia, Taiwan, and Thailand. This is the tip of the iceberg—there really has been so much progress even in the past handful of years. I’m really hopeful that we can make a lot more progress in the next two decades."

Owen George on "Climate Solutions Need Queerness"

"The queer community’s culture of optimism, creativity, and joy in the face of adversity is a powerful tool."

Urban Green Lab

“Climate Optimism” is the idea that as we make progress to slow and reduce the effects of climate change, we must take moments to acknowledge the good work being accomplished instead of solely focusing on setbacks or major hurdles." (October 2023)

Sean Kelly, co-founder of the Climate Story Network

"It’s rational to have anxiety, but people need to have #hope too. I understand why people are overwhelmed. It’s easy to wonder what your drop in the ocean can really do. We want to give people practical, community-based solutions. Move from climate anxiety to plausible #optimism.” (2024)

Lesley Hughes, Distinguished Professor of Biology 

“I’m optimistic about the future. I’ve come to the conclusion that hope has to be a strategy.

“You have to use hope as a motivator to keep going, because if you give up, if I give up, if all of the other scientists give up, if all of the other advocates and people that care give up, then we are lost. We can’t afford to give up. Therefore, we have to keep hopeful.” (2023)