Aside from a sharp decline during COVID, CO2 emissions have continued to rise each year. This despite the world's efforts to curb the use of fossil fuels and to address other pollutants that send greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. 

But some experts are now predicting 2023 could have been the peak and 2024 is the achievement we've all been hoping for: a real decline in CO2 emissions based on structural trend rather than a pandemic that shuttered most of the world. 

And the primary factors driving this reversal: the fast growth of solar power and the electric vehicle revolution in China. 

If this turns out to be the case, we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's still going to take a lot of work, but the playbook is now open and in front of us. It's working, and we need to intensify our efforts in the things that are making the biggest difference.