2025 Positive Tech News Review: 25 Reasons for Hope in 2026

If you spent 2025 glued to your newsfeed, you'd be forgiven for feeling a bit downhearted. It was a year of political shakeups, the rise of the DOGE agency, and ongoing global conflicts. But as we stand on the brink of 2026, the full picture is surprisingly brighter. From climate wins to medical miracles, the world isn't just surviving—it's evolving.

2025 Positive Tech News Review: The Green Energy Dividend

For the first time ever, China's carbon emissions dropped during a period of economic growth. According to energy analyst Lauri Myllyvirta, massive investments in solar and wind power finally outpaced the demand for coal. Global renewable energy production has officially surpassed coal for the first time, as reported by Ember. In India, coal capacity fell below 50% for the first time, while the country added 30 gigawatts of clean energy—enough to power 18 million homes.

The EV revolution is accelerating, too. Rho Motion noted that global EV sales hit 2 million units per month in September 2025. While the U.S. market faced policy changes, the rest of the world saw a 48% surge in adoption. Meanwhile, Australia is so awash in solar power that it has begun offering three free hours of electricity daily to its citizens, proving that renewable energy is becoming too cheap to meter.

Health Breakthroughs and AI's Soft Landing

In medicine, we've entered what experts call a 'golden age.' The Mayo Clinic successfully used stem cells to regenerate heart tissue, a feat previously thought impossible. CRISPR gene-editing saved its first infant patient, and new blood tests for Alzheimer's are now clearing FDA hurdles. We even saw the first transcontinental robotic surgery, where a surgeon in Florida operated on a patient in Angola—7,000 miles away.

On the tech front, the AI bubble didn't burst; it's deflating safely. NVIDIA avoided a market meltdown, and Anthropic's $1.5 billion settlement with authors has set a massive precedent for creator rights. Policy-wise, bipartisan efforts in the U.S. and Australia's social media ban for under-16s show that society is finally getting serious about protecting the next generation from digital harms.