Episode Description:

For the first time in history, clean energy grew faster than global electricity demand and fossil fuel generation actually went down. That’s not even the most surprising thing in this episode.

Arielle and Karissa cover ten solutions this week, including a UK law that bans the legal purchase of tobacco forever, a bridge that was never going to have a car lane, and the growing case for making your own life harder on purpose.

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Transcript:

Arielle 

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Optimist Daily’s weekly roundup. I’m Arielle. 

Karissa 

And I’m Karissa. And we’re so excited to be back this week and share the solutions from the Optimist Daily. 

Arielle 

Yeah, I guess we will just dive into the solutions this week. But as always, we would love to send a shout out to our Emissaries who are our financial supporters. They help us keep the lights on here at the Optimist Daily. Another reminder that all of the Emissaries do get a little shout-out. So, if you are an emissary, you can check in your inbox for a link that we should have sent you, I don’t know, a few weeks ago. And then you can either write in a shout-out to… your favorite person or a charity that’s doing good work or just someone that you admire and want to recognize, and we’ll read it here on the podcast for you. Or you can even send in a voice note so you can add your own little personal touch to your message. 

Karissa 

Yeah, we’d love to hear from you. And if for some reason you can’t find that link, you can always e-mail us at podcast@optimistdaily.com, and we can hook you up with that link. But if you just want to reach out to us and chat with us, we’re available to you at the same e-mail, podcast@optimistdaily.com. And we’d welcome any comments, questions, or feedback. And if you haven’t already, follow us on our social media channels. We’re @OptimistDaily on basically everything except on X where we’re @OdeToOptimism. As always, if you want these solutions to your inbox every morning, we send out a newsletter five days a week. So, you can sign up for the daily newsletter, and that link is in the show notes. 

Arielle 

All right, with all of that said and done, let’s go into the solutions. The first title is: “2025: the year renewables finally outpaced global electricity demand growth.” So, for the first time in modern history, clean energy grew faster than global electricity demand in 2025, meaning every new watt of power the world needed last year came from renewables, not fossil fuels. And for the first time this century, fossil fuel generation actually went down. Because I think even as renewables were kind of picking up speed over the years, fossil fuels were also rising. This is the first year that we’ve seen the opposite effect. So fossil fuels are actually going down and renewables are going up. 

Karissa 

There’s a lot of cool facts in this article, like the fact that China and India both saw fossil fuel generation decline for the first time this century, which I think we actually did write about. And solar was also growing a lot, and it grew 30% and alone met 3/4 of net new demand of renewable energy. So yeah, that’s pretty awesome that solar and wind together met 99% of all new demand growth. 

Arielle 

The second article is titled: “How to stop your inner critic from confirming all your worst fears.” I was surprised to learn that the average person has about 11 negative thoughts about their body and self-worth every day, and most of them go completely unnoticed. So that’s kind of sad. 

Karissa 

Yeah. 

Arielle 

The problem isn’t just that the thoughts are there; it’s also that the brain is literally wired to go looking for evidence that confirms these negative thoughts. 

Karissa 

Yeah, chronic negative self-talk is actually linked to elevated blood pressure and a cardiovascular risk. So, it’s not just about being in a bad mood or anything. It’s actually really important to your health that we don’t engage in chronic negative self-talk. 

Arielle 

Of course, the opposite of negative self-talk is positive self-talk, but that is not to be confused with toxic positivity, which is something that just… These are things that bypass real difficulty and, I don’t know, just kind of excuse it, I suppose you could say. It’s like when you say “everything happens for a reason,” when that might not actually be super helpful and it kind of encourages people to dismiss their bad feelings, even if they are appropriate. It’s really interesting to learn more about this inner working of our own minds. So, I highly suggest that you check out the article.  

The third article is titled, “Intermittent fasting works, but probably not how you think.” Intermittent fasting has been everywhere for years, but the actual research tells a more nuanced story than either the enthusiasts or the skeptics usually admit. It can genuinely work for weight loss, blood pressure, and cholesterol, but the conditions matter a lot, so it’ll be a different journey for every person. The main benefit of fasting is weight loss, and that’s a quote from Krista Varady. She’s a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois, Chicago. But someone from the University of Sydney, Luigi Fontana, says that meaningful weight loss only occurs if intermittent fasting is properly implemented without overcompensating feast hours or days. 

Karissa 

Yeah, I think this article points out a lot of important things about intermittent fasting. And as with any approach to weight loss or just like better health, no type of fasting is going to be a short magic fix. Of course, that works best alongside protein, whole foods, resistant training, and about a month to adapt. 

Arielle 

The fourth solution is titled “Antarctic whale populations are rebounding, but there’s still more to do.” Whale populations in Antarctica are nearly back to what they were before the 20th century’s mass slaughter, and scientists are watching super aggregations of more than 100 whales feeding in the same waters every single day. But there’s a new threat emerging, and it’s happening right in the middle of this really impressive comeback.  

Commercial whaling was banned in 1986, so more than 2 million whales had been killed in the Southern Ocean before this commercial whaling ban. And humpbacks have bounced back the fastest and are nearly at pre-whaling levels. And then blue whales are kind of recovering more slowly. But the thing is, there are these industrial krill trawlers, some weighing up to 3,000 metric tons, which is 3,300 US tons. And they are fishing in the same waters, competing directly with the whales for food.  

Krill is the foundation of the entire Southern Ocean food web. It feeds whales, penguins, and seals. If there’s no krill, then we can’t sustain these whale populations that are bouncing back. There were a couple of researchers, well, a lot of researchers, but the ones who are featured in the article are named Matt Savoca from Stanford and Ted Cheeseman. And they were doing a scientific survey near the South Orkney Islands. And they were seeing these groups of 100 plus feeding whales pretty much every day as long as there was decent weather. That’s possibly the highest whale density anywhere on the planet.  

Something that Cheeseman said that stuck with me is that when a whale eats krill, it poops out krill. So, there’s this nutrient recycling happening. When you take out the whales from this process, the krill also reduces. So, the krill trawlers are collecting all the krill, and then they’re not really recycling those nutrients back into the ocean. So that’s obviously going to have a huge effect on the aquatic environment. And then of course, the whole environment, because we rely so heavily on oceans. It’s a really hopeful read because you realize that with the conservation efforts, populations can… like animal populations, regardless of the species, can bounce back. But we have to be really careful to maintain that balance. 

Karissa 

Yeah, exactly. And I like how this article goes into the way we can preserve the krill is, you know, conservation through collaboration. So, we’ve gotten to these increased whale populations because of that same concept, collaborations between international governments. And this article goes into some international agreements that haven’t worked out so far but also proposes solutions that aren’t quite on the ground yet but could make a difference, like voluntary buffer zones around certain regions for krill fishing. So, I’m happy for the whales and hope that this krill trawling threat won’t be too much of a threat for much longer. 

Arielle 

The last solution that I’m going to be sharing with you guys today before I hand it over to Karissa is “How the UK plans to end smoking for an entire generation.” This one’s a pretty ambitious solution, but here we go.  

The UK just passed a law that doesn’t just raise the smoking age, it eliminates the option entirely for a whole generation. Anyone born after January 1st, 2009 will never be able to legally buy cigarettes in the UK, no matter how old they get.  

Sometimes you just need a heavy, heavy-handed policy to really nip issues in the bud. Yeah, I thankfully never got into smoking… in Canada, I just think they really campaigned early on in school, like in grade school. And it just never appealed to me. And I don’t think I have many friends from Canada who smoke. But I will say, in Europe, there are a lot more of my peers who are smoking. And they did start at a young age. So, if we can just make as many obstacles as possible to prevent young people from making such a habit in the first place. And I really do think that that’s better for everyone because all my friends who are smoking now, they’re like constantly trying to stop smoking. 

Karissa 

I mean, everyone knows it’s a bad habit and it’s a leading cause of preventable death in the UK and across the world. 

Arielle 

Yeah. So, this new bill also gives governments new powers to regulate vaping flavors and packaging. So it doesn’t just affect cigarettes. It’s also about vaping, which is a huge, huge problem. 

Karissa 

Yeah, I think that is such an important part of this policy too, because I think like vaping is becoming equally as big of an issue, at least in the United States, I would say, from my observation. 

Arielle 

Yeah, the thing with vaping is that it’s so much easier to do it inside. I was talking to a friend of mine who didn’t think she had a vaping problem, but slowly it snuck up on her because she was just using it as a little treat in between, I don’t know, work meetings. And she would just do it inside, one less barrier, like not having to walk outside to smoke something. And then the flavors, I totally get why kids are like, oh my God, this mango peach bonanza or whatever. It smells nice. Like when people are vaping around me, I’m like, oh, that actually smells like candy. 

Karissa 

Yeah. Rather than the really strong smell of cigarette smoke. 

Arielle 

Yeah. We’ll see how it goes. I could see the argument that it feels like a restriction of personal freedom. 

Karissa 

Right. 

Arielle 

But it depends on how you define freedom. Like this is going to help people… be freer to live a healthier life, in my opinion. 

Karissa 

I think there’s a lot of conversation that can come up from this because it’s like, does a prohibition really work? Historically, across the world, prohibitions have just like created a black market, so maybe that would come about. And the law doesn’t actually tell anyone to stop smoking. It just closes off the option for anyone born from 2009 onward to be able to purchase cigarettes or tobacco.  

This is the first like big test of something like this, and no country has successfully sustained this kind of rolling age-floor legislation long term. So, the UK would be a genuine global first if it can pull this off.  

Okay, well, I can take it from here, Arielle. We had a solution that is called “What an economist says young adults should know about modern dating.” An economist who studies love and behavioral science spoke at Georgetown University recently. This economist is named Rebekka Grun von Jolk, and she has research that sits at the intersection of love and behavioral science. After this Georgetown talk, students stayed long past the formal session to ask the hard, practical questions. She identified four recurring tensions with young people in this article and just in general. And one of the big ones was situationships, a buzzword we’ve heard a lot about. 

Arielle 

A situationship, just in case some of the listeners don’t know, is kind of when you’re like in an intimate relationship with someone, but you’re just kind of not acknowledging or declaring any kind of commitment to each other. But it’s definitely more than friends but less than real romantic partners. And that is a huge issue, I think, for younger generations because they want to keep their options open because they can swipe through… a million people online. I think having so much perceived choice, like, really stops people from committing and being intentional with one person. 

Karissa 

I myself have been in a few situationships over the years and maybe have been like part of the guilty side of keeping options open, or yeah, I think it’s a big problem for, you know, the younger millennials, Gen Z. 

Arielle 

And I’ve seen older people swiping. They also have this access, so I don’t know, I think it’s a valid thing to think about for anyone who’s in this dating game right now. 

Karissa 

The next solution we have is “The Bahamas eliminates mother-to-child HIV transmission.” The Bahamas just received WHO certification for something that only a handful of countries in the world have achieved. And a lot of Western countries have not achieved this, like the United States. So, this is so awesome. They’ve completely eliminated the transmission of HIV from mothers to newborns. They’re now the 12th country or territory in the Americas to receive WHO certification for eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission. And this certification requires an HIV transmission rate below 2%, fewer than five new pediatric HIV infections per 1,000 live births, and 95% or higher coverage for antenatal care, testing, and treatment. 

Arielle 

The universal antenatal care is available to all pregnant women, regardless of nationality or legal status, across public and private facilities, as it should be, because we’re all human. We should be given access to the proper healthcare. 

Karissa 

Yeah, and I thought it was really interesting too that this article pointed out that half of all certified countries and territories in the world that have this certification are from Latin America and the Caribbean. So, they’re really leading the way.  

And moving on to the next solution, we have “Chicago public school IDs now double as library cards.” In Chicago, getting a library card used to require paperwork, which meant some of the kids who needed the library card most couldn’t access it. The city just fixed that by making every public school student’s ID double as a library card automatically with no forms needed. 

Arielle 

I think this is such a great idea. It feels like a very simple thing to be able to implement. And of course, all school children should have access to the library. 

Karissa 

Chicago recognized that, so yeah, Chicago Public Library and CPS, which is Chicago Public Schools, expanded the 81 Club, as they call it, and school IDs now work as library cards for all CPS students, which is named after the city’s 81 library branches. Yeah, it’s really good that, you know, you’re just automatically in this system and you’ll be able to have access to 6 million physical items plus digital databases, eBooks, audiobooks, and academic tools. A 2022 pilot in four neighborhoods in Chicago showed a 63% increase in library use among economically disadvantaged students and 81% among English language learners by having this automatic enrollment. 

Arielle 

And it’s not just the students who benefit. The teachers also have some perks because they get access to Sora. So that’s like e-books, audiobooks, and classroom materials, and research databases, and instructional tools. So yeah, the students get access to the library. The library and its facilities and the teachers get great resources for making better classes and learning environments. 

Karissa 

Yeah, exactly. There is something about libraries that offer not just books, but like we said, all the different resources, audiobooks, databases that are equally as important. 

Arielle 

And a community hub, a safe space for people to get together and learn and, I don’t know, just hang out. It’s like a… it’s a third space. 

Karissa 

Definitely. And we love our third spaces here on the Optimist Daily. So, the next solution is called “Friction-maxxing and the case for a less convenient life.” So, Kathryn Jezer-Morton, who is a columnist for New York Magazine’s The Cut, published an essay in December 2025 coining “friction-maxxing.” And the concept is deliberately choosing the slower, more inconvenient version of things when technology has made them avoidable. So that could look like going to the grocery store instead of Instacarting, looking up a word in a physical dictionary rather than just Googling it, or figuring something out for yourself instead of just asking AI. 

Arielle 

I haven’t looked up a word in a physical dictionary in so long.  

Karissa 

I know! I don’t even think I own a dictionary anymore. 

Arielle 

Yeah, I do get where this is coming from. I think some friction-maxxing in my own life would be beneficial. And it kind of is a counter to the hyper-productivity that everyone feels pressured to be engaged in. We are more than just consumers and producers. 

Karissa 

And it’s also very political because tech leaders who are running the world right now have openly stated interest in shaping how people live. But friction maxing is a response to these powerful institutions, assuming you’d rather be a user than a person. I think we all rather be a person. So yeah, check out this article if you want to learn some more about how you can friction max.  

And the final solution we had on the Optimist Daily this week is “Finland’s new bridge was built for everyone except drivers.” Helsinki just opened what may be the longest car-free bridge in the world, and the remarkable thing isn’t even the engineering feat. It’s the fact that a car lane was never even on the table for this bridge. This bridge was built for people, and the city designed it that way from the start. I looked up how to say this. The Kruunuvuori… The Kruunuvuori, I think I’m saying that right, Bridge, in Helsinki opened this past weekend. And it’s 0.74 miles, 1.19 kilometers long. And it’s also completely car-free. Pedestrians and cyclists can use it now. And light rail trams are actually going to begin running early next year. Looking at a picture of it, it’s pretty awesome. I like the design of it. 

Arielle 

It’s kind of curvy. Apparently, that’s a deliberate design choice because walking on a curved bridge can help a person better perceive where they’re going rather than just like a straight shot down. There’s not a lot of depth to that view. So, I’m interested in maybe paying it a visit. I’m going to Finland in June… I think I’m going to be far away from Helsinki, but if I do happen to pass by, then I’ll make sure to update everyone. 

Karissa 

Report back! Those are the 10 new solutions we had to share this week. 

Arielle 

And as usual, we will end off with a quote. 

Karissa 

“Far away, there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.” And that’s from Louisa May Alcott. 

Arielle 

All right, well, that’s all from us this week. We will be back next week with more solutions. 

Karissa 

Bye.  

Arielle 

Bye!