The Know Daily - Monday 22 June 2026

_{Read in 4m 15s ∙ Listening to Gary Quinn ∙}

Where you’ll be finding us until the end of this week!

🌍 Climate tipping points

From renewable energy to ecosystem restoration, researchers believe positive tipping points could help speed up progress on climate change.

What are they?
In science, a tipping point is a threshold where a small change triggers much bigger shifts. Negative climate tipping points include the loss of Arctic sea ice or parts of the Amazon rainforest, changes that can accelerate global warming and become difficult to reverse.

But scientists are increasingly focused on positive tipping points. These occur when climate-friendly technologies, policies or behaviours gain enough momentum for change to start accelerating by itself.

So what does a positive tipping point look like?
Think of it as a snowball effect. Once enough people, businesses or governments adopt a new idea, it becomes cheaper and easier for others to follow. Renewable energy is one example. According to the International Energy Agency, around $1.70 is now invested in clean energy for every $1 spent on fossil fuels, while renewables provide roughly 14% of the world's primary energy. Electric vehicles are another: their share of global new car sales rose from 4% in 2020 to 25% in 2025, showing how quickly technologies can move from niche to mainstream.

What's happening around the world?
Norway has become a global leader in electric vehicles, while China's investment in solar power and batteries has helped drive down clean energy costs worldwide. Countries including Brazil and Indonesia are stepping up efforts to curb deforestation, and Costa Rica has shown how conservation policies can help forests recover. There are encouraging examples in nature too. Marine protected areas in Belize and the return of species such as European bison have demonstrated how targeted interventions can create knock-on benefits for biodiversity and carbon storage.

What about the UK?
The UK has already seen one major shift. Coal generated around 40% of our electricity in 2012, but within a decade this fell to 1–2%, helped by the growth of renewables. The UK is also expanding offshore wind capacity and planning a transition away from new petrol and diesel cars.

Are these actions actually helping the planet?
Scientists stress that positive tipping points are not a magic fix, but they can help cut emissions, restore ecosystems and make low-carbon technologies more affordable. Crucially, one positive change can reinforce another. Cheaper batteries help electric vehicles, which in turn support renewable electricity systems. Similar feedback loops can happen in food, transport and conservation. Researchers believe these self-reinforcing changes could work together over the coming decades, offering optimism for the planet's future.

💰 Money Monday: The 2026 World Cup could come with an unexpected side benefit – lower energy bills for some households (no, really!).

• The bigger story: With many matches kicking off late at night or in the early hours, energy experts say fans on time-of-use tariffs may have a chance to run appliances when electricity is cheapest. Research from E.ON Next suggests households can cut costs by shifting activities such as laundry, tumble drying or charging devices to off-peak hours, when some tariffs charge significantly lower rates. But there are a couple of side notes: these deals tend to work best for people who can be flexible about when they use electricity and usually require a smart meter.

🗳️ Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce this morning that he intends to step down as prime minister in the autumn, potentially paving the way for Andy Burnham to succeed him as Labour leader.

🩺 Young women who received the HPV vaccine are now estimated to have an ’almost zero’ risk of cervical cancer, with experts saying it’s one of the biggest public health success stories in decades.

🏃 The London Marathon will be a two-day event next year for the first time, with a record 100,000 runners expected to take part. (We're tired just thinking about it!)

🌌 The Milky Way's supermassive black hole has finally given up one of its secrets, with astronomers solving a long-running mystery after searching for over 50 years.

🐣 Pelican chicks have hatched in a London park for the first time in more than 360 years – check out the fluffy new arrivals!

🔗 Last week’s most clicked: The best female solo travel destinations, a West End theatre’s new name and beavers solving a Tube’s flooding problem.

⭐ Donate to The Know. Only 0.9% of our readers donate (we see you and we love you 🥹). So if you have a couple of pounds to spare and want to ensure we keep bringing you thoughtful and informative news every day, we’d be so grateful.

⭐ Get clicking - this tells our partners that readers are interested in The Know. Let’s get started with this one!

⭐ Add us to your contacts or primary inbox - this makes sure we reach your inbox (and everyone else’s) each morning.

The Know is on a mission to help everyone start their day feeling informed and hopeful. We only recommend things we genuinely love but sometimes we make money from the links and content we share. This directly supports keeping our journalism free for all.

Trivia answer: B) Emily Brontë’s romance novel is expected to fetch around half a million pounds at auction later in June.

How did you find today’s email?
😍 Loved it! | 😕 Could be better…

Need fewer emails? Click here to hear from us once a week.