Counteracting the worst effects of human-induced climate change is one of the most daunting challenges of our time. There has been an increased recognition of the important role that human emotions, in particular positive affect, play in shaping people’s climate change-relevant decision-making and collective action. Here, we briefly review the rapidly expanding body of empirical research on positive emotions and climate change, focusing on two distinct yet closely intertwined ways in which positive emotions come into play: as antecedents and as consequences of climate change-relevant engagement. Our review reveals that positive emotions are positively linked to and can promote productive engagement with climate change but also that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to incorporating emotion into engagement and communication efforts.