2024 is history’s tipping point for climate change

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The Independent has chosen this year to salute those efforts of the people who are leading the way in the fight to save our planet. Our [Climate 100 List](~/AAAHagA~/RgRo2oOaP0T3aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvY2xpbWF0ZS1jaGFuZ2UvY2xpbWF0ZS0xMDAvY2xpbWF0ZS0xMDAtbGlzdC0yMDI0LW55Yy1iMjYxMzQzMi5odG1sP2xpZD1wdzc0bnowZzR6c2UmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWJyYXplJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1TdXBwb3J0ZXIgYWNxdWlzaXRpb24gLSBDbGltYXRlIDIwMjQgVGlwcGluZyBQb2ludCAtIDI4LTA5LTIwMjQmdXRtX3Rlcm09SU5EX01hcmtldGluZ1cFc3BjZXVCCmb3mv73Zh_IEnRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAADIw~~), and our subsequent event last week during New York’s climate week, honored those advocates, academics, celebrities, politicians, and tech entrepreneurs making a difference. The Independent is at the forefront of reporting on the climate crisis. But we can’t do it without the help of our readers. Support The Independent’s leading journalism by [donating today](Independent%20journalism%20is%20a%20powerful%20tool%20in%20the%20fight%20against%20the%20climate%20crisis%20and%20every%20donation%20ensures%20we%20can%20continue%20to%20report%20on%20the%20stories%20that%20affect%20lives.?lid=uqcr0vj1eolb). There is plenty for The Independent's readers to be excited about in the climate transition. On the plus side, we’ve made huge strides in the past decade. Renewable energy is surging around the world in the form of solar, wind and battery power, and work on new technologies, such as nuclear fusion and carbon removal, continues apace. The International Energy Agency said in its 2024 world energy report that clean energy investment will top $2 trillion (£1.5 trillion) for the first time this year, more than double that of oil and gas investment. The negative side is that time is running out. Unprecedented heat is baking large parts of India and Europe this autumn, while in the US, city infrastructures and electric grids are buckling from New York to Houston under heat, floods and storms. Jakarta is sinking. Canada and California are burning as hundreds of wildfires rage. A hurricane just hit Florida. 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The European Union has been the world’s leading political force in taking bold climate action, but the European Parliament election results earlier this year indicated that priorities were changing as energy security in the age of Russia and Ukraine overtook efforts to reduce oil and gas development. In the US, the presidential election race has been characterized as a decisive vote over the future of a sustainable earth. If Vice President Kamala Harris wins, she will maintain Biden’s clean technology efforts of the last four years. By contrast, former president Donald Trump’s rousing “drill baby, drill” message to oil companies sends a green light to fossil fuel conglomerates that the age of oil and gas will continue under his administration. The wildcard at the political climate table might be the new Labour government. Keir Starmer has pledged to reverse Tory inaction on climate, restart onshore wind power, freeze North Sea oil licences, and create a state-owned Great British Energy group, based in Scotland and dedicated to investing in clean energy projects across the UK. The intention should be applauded even if it eventually might collapse into the underfunded and ill-managed sinkhole of grand Downing Street campaigns.   Your support helps us to tell the story Independent journalism is a powerful tool in the fight against the climate crisis and every donation ensures we can continue to report on the stories that affect lives. 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