Is It Even Possible to Avoid Climate Breakdown
How far have we come in the fight against climate change
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When it comes to climate change, the news can be a bit… well, terrifying.
Rising temperatures, extreme weather, melting ice caps—it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Every day, we hear news about terrifying weather conditions, fires, floods, earthquakes, and more.
And yes, most if not all of these events have something (or everything) to do with the state of our climate.
But here’s the thing: we’ve made huge progress in fighting the climate crisis over the last 50 years.
No, climate change is not a lie as some make it out to be. It’s very real.
But with all the negative news about climate, we rarely see the positive.
While we still have a long way to go, we have come a long way from the days when people thought “climate change” just meant “wow, it’s a hot summer.”
So, let’s exactly see how far we’ve come and what’s coming next.
Realizing We Had a Problem
Before you can fix a problem, you have to realize you have one. It’s crazy how often we forget that. Identifying a problem is step one.
And for a long time, people didn’t really think twice about burning fossil fuels like there was no tomorrow.
It was cheap, efficient, and… well, everywhere. But then, issues arose.
1967: The First Climate Model
A couple of scientists, Syukuro Manabe and Richard Wetherald, built the first real computer model of Earth’s climate.
Heroes!
They figured out that increasing carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels would make the planet warmer—something we now know all too well.
And as logical and straightforward as this seems to us now, this was a game-changer back then because it showed that climate change wasn’t just a theory.
It was a scary, science-backed reality.
1987: Humanity’s First Big Climate Win
Remember the giant hole in the ozone layer?
No?
Well, ask your parents or someone who lived through the ‘80s—they were panicked about it.
Scientists discovered that chemicals called CFCs (found in things like aerosol sprays and refrigerators) were tearing a hole in our atmosphere, letting in dangerous UV rays.
There were terrifying predictions—like crops failing and skin cancer rates skyrocketing. But the world actually did something about it.
In 1987, countries around the world signed the Montreal Protocol, agreeing to phase out the harmful CFCs that were eating away at our ozone.
The result?
The ozone layer has been slowly healing, and scientists say it could fully recover by 2060. If that’s not proof that global cooperation works, I don’t know what is.
The Renew Boom
Fast forward to the late ‘90s and early 2000s, and suddenly, people started realizing that maybe—just maybe—we should stop relying so much on coal, oil, and gas.
Enter: the renewable energy revolution. It had been going on for decades already, but low-key. Not it was turning mainstream.
1980: The First Wind Farm
The U.S. built the first-ever wind farm in New Hampshire, proving that we could harness the power of the wind to generate electricity.
Today, wind energy is one of the fastest-growing energy sources, and some countries—like Denmark, Norway, and even China—get a large portion of their electricity from wind and other forms of renewable energy.
1991: The First Offshore Wind Farm
In 1991, Denmark went next-level and built the world’s first offshore wind farm.
Offshore wind is now a massive industry, with countries racing to install floating turbines in deep water to generate even more power.
2010s: Solar Goes Mainstream
Back in the ‘90s, solar panels were expensive and kind of a niche thing.
But thanks to better tech and lower costs, solar power has exploded in the last decade.
In some places, it’s now cheaper than coal and gas, making it an absolute game-changer.
In the 2020s, small, easily installable solar panels for balconies, small roofs, or sheds are becoming a huge thing. So, people can help with climate change.
Governments Finally Step Up
For a long time, climate action was mostly led by scientists and activists (I mean, people glued themselves to buildings to get politicians to pay attention).
But in the last few decades, governments have finally started making serious commitments.
Well, before Trump, that is.
2015: The Paris Agreement
If climate action had a “greatest hits” album, the Paris Agreement would be right there at the top.
Signed by 196 countries, it’s the world’s first major climate deal where nations agreed to keep global warming well below 2°C (preferably 1.5°C).
While it’s not perfect, it’s a huge step in the right direction.
Again, identifying and writing down the problem is the first step.
2020: The European Green Deal
The European Union decided to go big or go home with their Green Deal, which aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
I mean, that’s a tough goal. Everyone knows that.
The EU is investing in green energy, electric transportation, and even plans to plant 3 billion trees.
(Which, honestly, sounds like a lot of trees.)
Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act
Make of Biden what you will, but the Inflation Reduction Act was the biggest climate bill ever, pouring $370 billion into clean energy and carbon reduction.
Now, Trump is a different animal entirely. We all know that. But even he can’t stop progress.
What’s Coming Next?
Alright, so we’ve made some progress. But what’s on the horizon?
1. Green Hydrogen is Coming
I haven’t heard anything about that before writing this.
Hydrogen has been hyped as a clean fuel for years, but now it seems like it’s finally happening.
Several countries are investing big in green hydrogen, which could replace fossil fuels in industries like steelmaking and shipping.
2. Electric Everything
Obviously.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are taking over, but it’s not just cars. We’re talking about electric planes, electric ferries, and electric trucks.
Pretty soon, gas stations might start looking as outdated as Blockbuster stores. We can only hope!
3. Carbon Capture
What if we could suck carbon out of the air?
That’s exactly what companies like Climeworks and Carbon Engineering are working on.
While it’s still expensive, carbon capture tech could be a crucial tool in the fight against climate change.
Also, planting more trees will help exponentially with that as well. And we’re on track to planting more trees than ever before each year.
So, Are We Winning?
Honestly? We’re doing better than a lot of people think. Better than I thought.
Yes, we still have major challenges—global emissions are still way too high, and we need to move way faster.
But when you look at how far we’ve come in just a few decades, it’s clear that real change is happening.
Climate change isn’t a lost cause, and every action—big or small—helps.
Voting for climate-friendly policies, switching to renewable energy, or just convincing your skeptical uncle that climate change is real, it all matters.
And we haven’t even touched on many other important inventions and incentives to mitigate climate change, like (animal) food production, food alternatives, new materials, and much more.
It’s easy to see the negative. But we’ve truly come a long way in fighting climate change.
We should talk about that more.