I hear you, I really do. But I honestly think you're doing the cause a disservice when you only recognize "optimism" as it fits some narrow idea that seems to willfully ignore much of the reality. Optimism is not about shutting our eyes and saying "nah nah nah" to the bad stuff. Christiana Figueres has no problem laying out how dire the situation is (which, by the way, is far worse than merely bald eagles or orcas; there are currently 26,000 species on the endangered list). Understanding the magnitude of the situation doesn't cancel out commitment to mitigation and solution efforts.

It's a tight road. On the one side, we risk engendering complacency by promising simple fixes and gauzy optimism. On the other, we risk frustration nihilism by acting like the worst is inevitable. The middle way, as it's always been, will be the most realistic and productive path forward.