What are the things/facts/developments that give you optimism or are optimistic about?

Renewables are taking off rapidly across the world because they are the cheapest form of power full stop. We keep underestimating how much capacity they’ll add. Existing renewables and other measures, while not sufficient to prevent a lot of harm (we still need to keep going), has already made some of the absolute worst case climate timelines no longer considered likely

In solid blue is what we’ve actually done and the lighter lines were our predictions and models for new solar capacity

chaos.social/@russss/114825851049843449

Something I have a less stats on and is more gut feeling, but in my personal life and online, I’m seeing a massive increase in the support for moving towards plant-based diets in just this last year. I was talking to one of my friends, in a city I used to live in, who told me that the veg fest near them was the most crowded they’ve ever seen it this year

renewables are taking off, but they’re effectively banned in most of the western world

This is absolutely not true. They are also taking off a lot in the western world too and are the vast majority of new energy capacity. A lot western countries are trying to hamper them somewhat because of fossil fuel interests interfering, but they are not at all banned

Even in the US where the US government is even more actively trying to restrict, there is still a massive boom

Even as President Donald Trump boosts coal over clean energy, solar power is hitting new milestones in the U.S. and remains the leading source of new power.

Solar power hits new milestones in the US even as Trump boosts coal over clean energy

This is absolutely not true. They are also taking off a lot in the western world too and are the vast majority of new energy capacity. A lot western countries are trying to hamper them somewhat because of fossil fuel interests interfering, but they are not at all banned

as said: they’re effectively banned; not literally banned – why split hairs?

The dominant form of new capacity is not effectively banned by any stretch though. This is not splitting hairs, it’s just wrong