The news coming from the French island territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean is grim. The damage from the worst cyclone to hit the area in 90 years is so extensive that roads are blocked and communications lines are down. Rescue efforts are underway, but it will be some time before the number of fatalities can be tallied. Hundreds have died and the total may reach or even exceed a thousand. Some are predicting that several thousand will die before the crisis is over. The cyclone packed 140 mph winds and waves were over 25 feet high.

Part of the heartbreak of the tragedy is that it is yet another case of the poorest people in the world receiving the most damage and destruction of human-caused climate change. There is clear evidence that storms such as the cyclone that battered the area are more intense and more frequent because of the warming of the climate. And Mayotte is one of the most impoverished places in France. Three-quarters of the 300,000 residents of the island live in shanty towns with incomes well below the French poverty line. The high death toll is in part due to the lack of homes and other structures that are built to even the barest of minimum safety standards.

It is easy to fall into a state of grief and depression when monitoring the environment. Global temperatures rose and extreme weather became more common in the past year. Climate scientists have warned for decades that exceeding the 1.5C temperature threshold would bring catastrophic changes. 2024 was the first year in history where that temperature mark was exceeded for an entire year. Extreme weather impacts are increasing in frequency and severity.

But there have also been some breakthroughs in efforts to protect nature and the climate. There is big positive news about our planet as well as the news of devastation and tragedy.

In August the final of four dams that were in the Klamath River in Oregon and California was removed. The return of the salmon to the river was faster and more dramatic than anyone had predicted. By October fish were sighted in the tributaries of the river. The sheer number of fish and their geographic range has exceeded what biologists predicted. The removal of the dams and the return of the salmon has been the result of decades of work by members of the Yurok Tribe and other indigenous people working to replenish wild animals on tribal territories. Another environmental win for the tribe has been the program of reintroducing the California condors to native lands. The efforts which have been growing since 2008 when the first birds were released has proven to be a success with 18 of the giant birds living on Yurok territory at present and steady growth in the population. This leadership is producing dramatic results and improvements for all of us who live in the west and is providing models that can be replicated in other parts of the world.

Across the world in the Atlantic, the Azores announced a new marine protected area. When established it will be the largest in the region including 30% of the Portuguese archipelago. The area includes nine hydrothermal vents, 28 species of marine mammals and 560 species of fish. In other parts of the globe marine protected areas have been highly effective in protecting biodiversity. Currently only 2.8% of the world’s oceans are effectively protected. The Azores are setting an example for the entire world of what can be done.

Renewable energy sources are growing worldwide. In the US, wind energy generation exceeded coal-fired generation beginning in April. While renewable energy production fell slightly short of what is required to meet the UN goal of tripling capacity by 2030, the world is well on the way to having half of the demand for electricity by that time. The clear leader in renewable energy in the world is China, which will make up at least half of the world’s cumulative renewable electricity capacity by 2030. This surge in renewable energy is being driven by economics more than by governmental policy. Solar is now the cheapest option in almost every country in the world. In our personal lives, 2024 was our first full year of solar production on our home. We met our goal of producing more electricity than we consumed by a significant number. Once our solar system was installed our only cost for electricity has been the meter charge to remain connected to the grid. This allows us to share our excess production with the grid in exchange for being able to use power from the grid when our system is not producing at night and during stormy weather.

There have been major legal gains in the struggle to protect the environment. Back in 2021, the Ecuadoran government issued a landmark ruling stating that mining in the Los Cedros cloud forest violated the rights of nature. The legal status of natural ecosystems has been recognized in many places since that historic decision. The Machangara River is now protected in Ecuador and a growing number of natural features around the world gained legal status in 2024. In New Zealand the peaks of Egmont National Park were recognized as ancestral mountains. They were renamed Te Papakura o Taranaki and jointly have been granted personhood status according to New Zealand law. In Brazil the ocean has been granted the right to exist, regenerate, and restore. Whales and dolphins have been granted legal rights to exist and live in treaties promoted by Pacific indigenous leaders.

Deforestation in the Amazon basic has reached a nine-year low, falling by more than 30% in 2024. Vast areas are still being destroyed, but this year marked the lowest annual lost of rainforest since 2015. This was accomplished despite historic drought and a huge increase in fires in the Brazilian Amazon.

A major study of conservation initiatives this year demonstrated that conservation measures are effective in slowing and even reversing biodiversity loss. Nearly 2/3 of all efforts included in the study showed positive effects.

There will continue to be significant loss and people will continue to suffer in many places, but progress is being made. Change is coming despite setbacks. Other countries of the world are providing leadership that our country will follow. And for those of us committed to positive change, seeing results restores our hope and renews our energy.