10 Jul 2023
Around the world, progress is gathering pace, with each incremental achievement accelerating the next.
As we head into the second half of the Earthshot Decade, we asked our community for the positive tipping points they see coming in 2026 that will shift the balance towards lasting change.
From global treaties to climate-tech advancements and the accelerating rise of renewable energy, these are the positive signs of progress they’re pointing to this year.
As a climate activist, I’m stepping into 2026 with grounded hope.
We’re seeing renewables scale faster, not as a dream but as infrastructure. Solar and wind are becoming the default, not the alternative. Climate movements are learning to move together, linking justice, labour, and land. And more people are choosing to reconnect with nature, not escape reality, but to protect what sustains us.
Progress isn’t perfect but it’s real, resilient, and growing.
— Luisa Neubauer, Earthshot Prize Council Member
Two positive trends I’m tracking for 2026 are The High Seas Treaty being legally enforced on 17 January and the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi, as they’re both key to my work, addressing international water protection and policy.
— Shelot Masithi, Generation Earthshot participant
In 2026, I’m optimistic about the rapid scaling of AI-enabled sustainable supply chains, especially as major companies commit to verifiable Scope 3 reductions.
After meeting innovators and VCs at the Earthshot Prize Summit in Rio, I’ve seen a clear shift: climate-tech solutions are moving from pilots to real deployment across logistics, materials, and circularity. As I work on AI-driven supply-chain analytics, this momentum matters. It means faster decarbonization, stronger collaboration, and tangible benefits for frontline communities.
— Rui Yang, Generation Earthshot participant
For Coastal 500, 2026 will be defined by scale and influence. We expect to reach 500 local government leaders and expand into new countries across the world’s most climate-vulnerable coastlines, strengthening the global infrastructure needed to drive resilience and ocean protection from the ground up. We will host our second global exchange, a space to share bright spots and practical solutions — reflecting the peer learning and collaboration that make the network transformative.
The Our Ocean Conference and COP31 will provide opportunities to build on our work shaping the COP30 Global Climate Action Agenda. As recognition that local leaders are essential to protecting and repairing our planet grows, so does our optimism. By expanding the network and elevating community needs, we’re laying the foundation for lasting, scalable impact.
— Rocky Sanchez Tirona, Coastal 500 (Earthshot Prize Finalist 2023)
A positive tipping point we see in the year ahead is the rapid scaling of community-owned fisheries data systems as a foundation for locally led co-management and regeneration.
ABALOBI has now made its MONITOR platform and visualisation tools accessible for global deployment, with 50+ partner organisations already signed up and an emerging ecosystem of regional implementers supporting small-scale fishing communities to collect, own and use near real-time data.
In 2026 we expect several multi-country deployments and deeper alignment with government monitoring systems, enabling faster feedback loops, stronger compliance, and more resilient livelihoods. We are shifting power and decision-making back to coastal communities while helping repair ocean ecosystems.
— Dr Serge Raemaekers, ABALOBI (Earthshot Prize Finalist 2023)
Advances in climate science mean we know a lot about tipping points: the ‘point of no return’ events that will irreparably harm the Earth and our ability to live on it. This knowledge can help us avoid the worst tipping points, but what makes me optimistic is that for every negative tipping point, there is a positive one.
Solar power is now better and cheaper than fossil fuels – we’ve passed its tipping point and the renewable energy revolution is inevitable. 2026 is the year we set our sights on many more of these positive tipping points, and make momentum unstoppable!
— Rachel Moriarty, Executive Director of Prize & Impact, The Earthshot Prize
