The energy transition is moving—but are we keeping up?

Climate change is already reshaping our energy systems, our health, and even the basic medicines we rely on. But progress continues, and we can help.

⚡ Good news: Global investment in clean energy hit a record $2.3 trillion last year, outpacing fossil fuel investment for the second year in a row.

🦠 Not-so-good news: New research suggests that warming temperatures and drought may be fueling antibiotic resistance in soil, making infections harder to treat.

🌿 What we can do: The Nature Conservancy's free guide offers simple ways to get outside, from bird-watching to planting for pollinators to my personal fav: finding new ways to “wander and wonder.” Pick one thing and give it a try this week!

Find The Nature Conservancy's free Earth Day guide here.

Thank you to Anne Cloud with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Voice Over for the Planet⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for narrating this edition of Talking Climate. 

Music by Bradley Myer.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.talkingclimate.ca

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to Talking Climate with Catherine Hayho. Each episode, we explore how climate change is affecting the people, places, and things we love, and what we can do to make a difference. From science to solutions and stories that inspire, you're in the right place for real talk about real change. This week, we're talking about clean energy market growth, a new threat to our health, and how to keep Earth Day going. Let's dive in. Good news. Last year, global investment in the clean energy transition hit a record$2.3 trillion. That's up a full 8% from 2024, according to Bloomberg NEF's latest annual report. Electric vehicles and charging infrastructure led the way at$893 billion, up 21% from the year before. Renewable investment added$690 billion. Grid investment$483 billion. And for the second consecutive year, clean energy investment outpaced fossil fuel investment, with the gap between them widening. Even in the US, where federal policy has been working against the transition, investment still rose 3.5%. The market is moving forward, with or without policy. Is it enough? Not yet. A few years ago, growth was faster. In 2021, these investments grew by 27% year on year, compared to 8% this past year. Growth needs to accelerate, not coast. But here's what this report tells us: the transition is real, it's resilient, and it's happening despite political tailwinds. Bloomberg NEF forecasts that average annual investment in the global energy transition will hit$2.9 trillion yearly by 2031. Simply put, the energy transition is at hand. Not so good news. Climate change may be making antibiotics less effective. New research suggests that warming temperatures and drought could be quietly fueling antibiotic resistance in the soil beneath our feet. In one long-term experiment, soils warmed by just a few degrees showed about a 25% increase in antibiotic resistance genes over time. How does soil connect to the medicines we rely on? As soil heats up, microbes adapt to survive, and resistance traits can spread alongside those advantages. Add drought, and the effect can intensify. As water disappears, antibiotics become more concentrated, killing off weaker bacteria and giving resistant strains room to thrive. That matters because antibiotic resistance makes infections harder or sometimes impossible to treat. Illnesses we think of as routine can become dangerous, linger longer, or require stronger drugs with more side effects. Even modern medicine depends on antibiotics to keep procedures like C-sections, chemotherapy, and transplants safe. This is one more way climate change is reshaping the systems we depend on in ways we are only beginning to understand. What you can do. Earth Day may be over, but the chance to connect with the world around us isn't. The Nature Conservancy has created a free Earth Day guide filled with simple, everyday ways to get outside and notice nature again. Learn more about bird watching close to home, planting for pollinators, or building a scavenger hunt with kids. My personal favorite is finding new ways to wander and wonder. These aren't big, complicated actions. They're small moments that help us reconnect with the places we live. Small moments like these don't just reconnect us to nature. They remind us why it's worth protecting. And when something matters to us, we're far more likely to act. So pick one thing and give it a try this week.talkingclimate.ca. Don't underestimate your voice. Start a conversation this week and see where it leads.