Weekly Climate Solutions Digest
Welcome
This week feels like work and wonder at once. Night comes early in the north and the Geminids begin to stitch bright threads across the cold sky. Far south, heat lifts and cicadas test their summer chorus. In that split screen of seasons, our stories settle on two steady themes. We build. We steward.
Public power steps forward. Great British Energy sets a 15 gigawatt target by 2030 and moves to co invest in renewables and storage. NYPA expands to 5.5 gigawatts and lays out the tools to deliver. In Europe, the Innovation Fund opens major calls for net zero industry and clean hydrogen. Markets move with it. Corporates sign more carbon removal offtakes and the CDR market books a solid November across biochar, DAC and biomass. Care for place keeps pace. Bolivia creates its first Indigenous protected area with tech enabled monitoring. Tennessee turns a working floodplain into a state park that holds water and welcomes people.
The through line is coordination and care. Build what we need. Protect what we love. Keep going. This edition follows that thread with concrete wins and quiet practices that help us stay the course.
Top Climate Solutions of the Week
From public developers to restored wetlands, here are the moves that matter and the links to dive deeper.
- The United Kingdom’s public developer set a five year plan to invest in and co develop 15 gigawatts of wind, solar and storage by 2030, with the company prepared to take stakes and partner with private developers. Read the overview of Great British Energy’s strategy here.
- New York’s public utility laid out a 5.5 gigawatt buildout of solar, wind and storage, using expanded authority to speed procurement and development. Details are in NYPA’s plan covered here.
- Europe opened a major funding window for industrial decarbonization at scale, including clean hydrogen, net zero manufacturing, and carbon capture. See the Innovation Fund call summarized here.
- Carbon removal demand continued to firm up. November saw roughly 268,000 tonnes contracted across biochar, DAC and biomass pathways, improving bankability for suppliers and channeling revenue to projects. Explore the monthly recap here.
- Bolivia designated its first Indigenous protected area and paired it with tech enabled monitoring to safeguard forests and livelihoods while avoiding deforestation emissions. Learn more here.
- A former farm in Tennessee was transformed into Middle Fork Bottoms State Park, reconnecting floodplains to cut flood risk while adding wetlands, trails and wildlife habitat. Story and photos here.
Policy, finance, and place making are moving in tandem. When public institutions set clear targets and share risk, private capital follows. When communities restore land and water, resilience grows. Keep your eye on the linkages as much as the milestones.
If you are struggling...
Maybe you are tired, angry, anxious, or worn down by headlines. The world feels loud and fast. Our timelines say time is running out. It can help to remember the difference between chronos and kairos. Chronos is clocks and pressure. Kairos is ripening and readiness. You are allowed to pause. You can rest without quitting. You can listen for what is actually ready to emerge, and give your energy there.
Most heroism is quiet. It is an extra breath before reacting, a softer tone in a hard moment, choosing curiosity over certainty. It looks less like a scene with music rising, and more like the tide answering a steady pull. Let your presence shape things like the moon on water. Small, steady choices re pattern a day, a home, a team.
Also, let joy in. Joy is not a betrayal of grief. It restores your capacity to care. You do not have to carry every feeling at once. You are allowed to be happy while the world is burning. Not because the fire is false, but because joy helps you carry water.
When it all feels too much, try one small act. Drink water. Step outside. Notice one living thing. Send a kind text. Tidy one corner. Small is not a cop out. Small is a seed.
For people and planet,
Bri Chapman
brichapman.com