Sept. 23, 2026

But there is one solitary (and very literal) ray of sunshine amidst this gloom: the steady rise of solar, wind and batteries. That clean energy trinity has broken out of its Chinese base and over the last few years expanded quickly across the planet – from Karachi to California to Cuba, solar panels are going up faster than any energy source has ever grown. It’s even begun to demonstrate that it can drive emissions down: China seems to have started on its downward slope years before most thought it could, and California has cut the use of gas to produce electricity in half in the world’s fourth-largest economy.

None of it is happening fast enough to catch up with the physics of global warming, though – which is precisely why civil society will now try to double down on this one bright spot, and push for a rapid acceleration of clean energy; this transition is going fast, but it needs to go much faster.

Sept. 23, 2026

But there is one solitary (and very literal) ray of sunshine amidst this gloom: the steady rise of solar, wind and batteries. That clean energy trinity has broken out of its Chinese base and over the last few years expanded quickly across the planet – from Karachi to California to Cuba, solar panels are going up faster than any energy source has ever grown. It’s even begun to demonstrate that it can drive emissions down: China seems to have started on its downward slope years before most thought it could, and California has cut the use of gas to produce electricity in half in the world’s fourth-largest economy.

None of it is happening fast enough to catch up with the physics of global warming, though – which is precisely why civil society will now try to double down on this one bright spot, and push for a rapid acceleration of clean energy; this transition is going fast, but it needs to go much faster.

Sept. 23, 2026

But there is one solitary (and very literal) ray of sunshine amidst this gloom: the steady rise of solar, wind and batteries. That clean energy trinity has broken out of its Chinese base and over the last few years expanded quickly across the planet – from Karachi to California to Cuba, solar panels are going up faster than any energy source has ever grown. It’s even begun to demonstrate that it can drive emissions down: China seems to have started on its downward slope years before most thought it could, and California has cut the use of gas to produce electricity in half in the world’s fourth-largest economy.

None of it is happening fast enough to catch up with the physics of global warming, though – which is precisely why civil society will now try to double down on this one bright spot, and push for a rapid acceleration of clean energy; this transition is going fast, but it needs to go much faster.

…there is one solitary (and very literal) ray of sunshine amidst this gloom: the steady rise of solar, wind and batteries. That clean energy trinity has broken out of its Chinese base and over the last few years expanded quickly across the planet – from Karachi to California to Cuba, solar panels are going up faster than any energy source has ever grown. It’s even begun to demonstrate that it can drive emissions down: China seems to have started on its downward slope years before most thought it could, and California has cut the use of gas to produce electricity in half in the world’s fourth-largest economy.