Optimism for our planet

YES, the headlines are bleak. Yes, scientists are sounding the alarm. Yes, a growing pile of studies warn that the world is "on the brink of irreversible climate disaster," as a recent "State of the Climate" report put it.

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It's easy to feel like the planet is on fire because, well, sometimes it literally is.

But even amid the floods, droughts and devastating forecasts, it's not all doom: Innovators are reimagining how we power our lives, nature is pulling off surprising comebacks, cities are cleaning their air, and nations are opening their wallets.

This Earth Day, take a break from the doomscrolling. Here are five reasons to hope and maybe even feel a flicker of optimism.

Breakthroughs

The future isn't just solar panels and wind turbines anymore. Innovations that sound like they're pulled from a sci-fi script are already hitting streets, factories and even seas.

In Stockholm, the world's first electric flying ferry is now transporting commuters across the water - gliding above the surface to reduce drag, slash emissions and cut commute times in half.

New electric-vehicle batteries made with abundant iron, instead of expensive nickel or cobalt, are making EVs cheaper, safer and less flammable. Some companies are scaling up "flow batteries," refrigerator-size units that store renewable energy and could eventually replace gas and coal as reliable backup power.

Even concrete one of the most polluting materials on Earth is getting a green makeover, with start-ups using everything from carbon-infused mixes to construction waste to lower emissions. And for those facing longer wildfire seasons, an $85 DIY air purifier built from a box fan and a furnace filter is proving surprisingly effective at scrubbing indoor air.

None of this on its own solves for climate change. But it's the kind of forward momentum that, multiplied at scale, could help reshape the energy economy.

Nature's unexpected tools

Not all climate solutions are made by people. Some are hiding in plain sight - buried in rocks, growing in the ocean or clinging to the fur of a polar bear.