The world is in turmoil, but we must not lose hope
In addition to all the alarming news about the climate, there are also positive developments taking place in Europe.
Published on August 12, 2026
Team IO+ selects and features the most important news stories on innovation and technology, carefully curated by our editors.
The world is on fire. July 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded, and the average sea temperature reached 21 degrees for the first time. A wildfire is raging in Limburg, and firefighters will be battling it for days to come. Understandably, this is causing people to lose hope that we can still slow down climate change. Still, it doesn’t help to simply let fear paralyze us. That’s precisely why, in this article, we’re highlighting several positive climate developments. Because alongside all the alarming news, there’s also a lot happening in Europe that is moving in the right direction.
Renewable energy
In 2025, nearly half of all EU electricity came from renewable sources: 47.3% to be exact 🔗︎. Solar energy was the fastest-growing source, with a 24.6% increase compared to 2024 🔗︎. For the first time, wind and solar combined produced more electricity than all fossil fuels combined: 30% versus 29% 🔗︎.
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Fossil fuels under pressure
Coal’s share of the European energy mix continues to decline. In 2025, lignite supplies fell by 7.7% and bituminous coal supplies by 3.2% compared to 2024 🔗︎. This decline is partly due to the growth of renewable energy and the accelerated phase-out of coal-fired power plants.
Leaders in green energy
Some EU countries are leading the way in the energy transition. Denmark achieved an impressive 92.4% share of renewable electricity in 2025 🔗︎. Portugal reached 82.9%, and Sweden derived 65.4% of its total energy consumption from renewable sources 🔗︎. These countries demonstrate that a rapid transition to green energy is possible, provided there is sufficient political will and investment.
Electric cars are making a huge leap
In 2025, 2.89 million electric vehicles were sold in the EU. That was 31% more than in 2024 and nearly three times as many as in 2019. In the fourth quarter of 2025, electric cars had a market share of 22%.
Even better: the average CO₂ emissions of new cars in the EU, Norway, and Iceland fell from 106.7 to 96.7 grams of CO₂ per kilometer in 2025.
More urgent than ever
These figures show that the transition to clean energy is well underway, though we still urgently need to accelerate the pace. The global climate crisis is more urgent than ever. Record temperatures in the oceans and on land, extreme weather conditions, and wildfires show that there is still a lot of work to be done 🔗︎. Falling emissions, the growth of renewable energy, and the decline in fossil fuel use demonstrate that climate action is working.