After a year like 2025, it’s simple for anyone who consumes a lot of online news to feel dispirited. This year commenced with a chilling gesture from the wealthiest individual on the planet. His government IT department, referred to as DOGE, interrupted the agency managing U.S. foreign assistance; specialists foresee widespread illness and hunger as an aftermath. A famine was already present in Gaza, notwithstanding a ceasefire. Ukraine remains in conflict. Climate change persists as a concern, with 2025 marking one of the hottest years recorded, and the tech sector’s emphasis on AI data centers worsening the issue.

Nevertheless, this wasn’t the entire narrative. Elon Musk, confronting numerous protests and a Tesla boycott, departed his contentious government position in May to concentrate on his technology enterprises. DOGE concluded without much sadness. In December, the World Health Organization indicated fragile advancements in feeding Gaza, transitioning the region away from famine. Ukraine remains unconquered while peace initiatives progress. Renewable energy and conservation endeavors also experienced a successful year. Attempts to rein in AI’s excesses likewise saw significant accomplishments in 2025.

In summary, there are numerous reasons to be genuinely worried about the state of the world that 2025 bequeathed to us, but also many reasons not to feel despondent. Here are 25 stories that may assist us in embracing 2026 with a more optimistic perspective.

1. China’s carbon emissions decreased significantly. This year, China commenced a cleanup effort, with new wind, solar, and nuclear capacity curtailing coal-power output even as demand increased. Energy analyst Lauri Myllyvirta observed that China’s carbon dioxide emissions fell for the first time under growth circumstances. China, the leading global emitter of CO2, also committed to boosting its wind and solar capacity sixfold by 2035.

2. EV sales are booming globally. In spite of a Tesla boycott and the Trump administration’s move to eliminate a widely embraced electric vehicle tax credit, EV sales hit a record 2 million per month worldwide in September. This marks a 24% year-over-year increase and a 20% month-on-month rise. EVs are most favored in Europe and China, while the “rest of the world” category experienced a 48% surge in 2025.

3. Solar power has become cheaper than coal. This year, renewable energy generated more electricity than coal for the first time. A 2025 study determined that for the cost of a gigawatt of coal power, one can now acquire two gigawatts of solar power. This has sparked a solar revolution in India, where coal capacity dipped below 50% for the first time, and over 30 gigawatts of solar and wind energy were introduced.

4. Certain countries are beginning to offer solar power at no cost. Australia, a once coal-dominant nation, will initiate the provision of three free hours of electricity daily to households, regardless of solar panel installation. Renewables are beginning to achieve what nuclear power could not—becoming “too cheap to meter.”

5. The energy storage sector is flourishing. Grid storage is expanding globally, even in the U.S., where tax incentives for renewables were phased out. Storage firms established a goal of 35 gigawatts of batteries connected to the U.S. power grid by 2025, surpassing this goal by reaching 40 gigawatts by the third quarter of 2025.

6. The world reached an agreement to safeguard 30% of international waters. The High Seas Treaty, a framework for designating 30% of international waters as Marine Protected Areas, was ratified by 60 nations in September. The subsequent step is determining MPA locations, but some countries are not waiting, having created the world’s largest MPA in 2025.

7. Several endangered species have rebounded. The green sea turtle has been removed from the endangered species list due to a population recovery. Other conservation triumphs include the peregrine falcon, the American alligator, multiple rhino species, the okapi, the Cape vulture, and the brush-tailed bettong.

8. The ozone hole continues to mend. Scientists reported that the ozone hole was the smallest in six years, maintaining a long-term recovery trend attributed to the Montreal Protocol.

9. The AI bubble has yet to burst. Despite worries regarding overcapitalization in AI, NVIDIA’s earnings in November were robust enough to prevent a stock market crash. NVIDIA’s stock has experienced a gentle downward trajectory, indicating a gradual deflation of the AI bubble.

10. AI companies discarded some ill-conceived concepts. Character.AI chatbots aimed at teens, AI-generated profiles on Meta, and ChatGPT-driven plush toys have been phased out.

11. AI companies faced repercussions for utilizing creators’ works without compensation. Anthropic resolved a class-action lawsuit from writers for $1.5 billion, establishing a precedent for future cases and demonstrating that AI companies can financially support copyright holders.

12. Some creators obtained Universal Basic Income for life.