Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025

While overall emissions continue to rise and nature faces ongoing threats, 2025 has seen several noteworthy, positive developments for the environment. Progress in clean energy, conservation efforts, and the recognition of indigenous rights has yielded tangible benefits that might have been overshadowed by the constant churn of news. Here's a look back at seven significant milestones achieved this year.

**Renewable Energy Surges**

Globally, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar surpassed coal as the world's primary source of electricity in 2025. China is a major driver of this growth, significantly expanding its clean energy production and dominating the export of clean energy technologies. The nation is also pioneering the use of typhoon-resistant wind farms to harness power from extreme weather events.

Other countries are also making considerable progress in wind energy. In the UK, wind became the largest single energy source in 2024, fulfilling about one-third of the country's energy needs, according to a 2025 analysis. Coal has become a negligible power source in the UK. To address the intermittent nature of renewable energy, the UK has begun constructing the world's largest liquid-air-battery storage facility in the north.

According to the International Energy Agency, the growth rate of renewable power capacity is accelerating in over 80% of countries worldwide. Renewable power capacity is projected to double by 2030 compared to current levels.

Thanks to its clean energy push, China's CO2 emissions fell for the first time this year, according to Carbon Brief analysis. Emissions declined in the 12 months up to May 2025, suggesting that the country's emissions may be peaking. A second Carbon Brief analysis indicated that this trend continued into the latter part of the year.

China also updated its pledge for emissions reductions. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. many other nations failed to submit new pledges before the UN climate talks.

Overall, the global surge in clean energy, largely propelled by China, is fostering conditions for a peak and subsequent decline in energy-related fossil fuel use, according to the Ember think tank. While the expansion of clean energy is rapid, it still needs to accelerate further to avert dangerous levels of climate change.

**Protecting Our Oceans**

High seas, which are international waters, constitute nearly two-thirds of the world's oceans. Currently, only 1% of this vast area is protected. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. this is set to change. A global agreement to protect the high seas, reached in 2023 after decades of negotiations, was ratified by enough countries in September 2025 to bring it into force.

The High Seas Treaty commits to designating 30% of these waters as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). MPAs are parts of the ocean specifically dedicated to safeguarding habitats, species, and marine ecosystems.

Oceans within national waters have also benefited from increased protections. The world's largest MPA was established this year in French Polynesia's Tainui Atea, aiming to protect 1,100,000 sq km of ocean.

**Forest Conservation Efforts**

Brazil hosted COP30 this year, the first UN global climate conference held in the Amazon rainforest, and prioritized forests as a key theme. The November negotiations in Belém were even nicknamed the "forest COP."

Brazil announced plans for a "roadmap" to fulfill its commitment to end deforestation by 2030. While supported by over 90 countries, this roadmap exists outside the summit's formal text, making its legal standing uncertain.

Brazil also launched the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), a funding platform to protect existing forest areas. This initiative aims to make preserving tropical forests more economically attractive than destroying them, offering financial incentives for verified forest conservation efforts. Unlike many other forest funds that reward emissions reductions, the TFFF rewards forest maintenance. While its target is $125 billion, current pledges only amount to $6.7 billion.

There were also encouraging signs regarding deforestation rates. Official data from Brazil indicates that deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon decreased by 11% in the 12 months leading up to July 2025, marking the lowest rate in 11 years. Deforestation also declined in the Cerrado ecosystem. Independent NGO Imazon reported that forest clearing in the Brazilian Amazon was 43% lower in October 2025 compared to October 2024.

According to a 2025 UN report, global annual deforestation rates were 38% lower between 2015 and 2025 compared to the period between 1990 and 2000. Over half of all forests are now covered by long-term management plans. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. the report also notes that 10.9 million hectares are still being cleared each year globally.

**Landmark Legal Decision**

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark decision this year, paving the way for countries to sue each other over climate change impacts. This ruling could enable nations heavily affected by climate change to pursue legal action against polluting nations.

Although the ruling is non-binding, experts believe the ICJ's findings carry significant weight and could significantly influence how climate cases are handled in other courts.

**Wildlife Comebacks**

Several endangered species experienced notable population rebounds this year, demonstrating the effectiveness of conservation measures in mitigating biodiversity loss.

Green turtles, once threatened by hunting for their eggs and shells, have recovered from near extinction. Decades of conservation efforts, including releasing hatchlings and reducing accidental capture in fishing nets, have led to a resurgence in green turtle populations. Consequently, the species was moved from "endangered" to "least concern" on the IUCN's Red List this year.

Florida also witnessed a record-breaking sea turtle nesting season, with over 2,000 leatherback nests.

India is now home to 75% of the world's tigers, having doubled its tiger population to over 3,600 in just over a decade. These tigers inhabit an area of 138,200 sq km alongside approximately 60 million people. Extensive efforts have been made to protect them from poaching and habitat loss, and to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Scientists emphasize that this success provides valuable lessons for global conservation efforts, demonstrating how protecting big cats can enhance biodiversity and support local communities.

**Recognition of Indigenous Rights**

Indigenous peoples received formal recognition at the UN level this year as leaders in protecting and managing the planet.

At the UN's COP16 biodiversity summit, indigenous peoples were granted an official voice in global conservation decision-making. A new permanent committee was established, solidifying this right and replacing the previously informal status indigenous people held at these talks.

The importance of ancestral knowledge was emphasized at the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, where indigenous voices were represented by their largest delegation in COP history, with approximately 2,500 attendees.

Outcomes from the climate summit included new funding pledges and commitments to recognize indigenous land rights. Ten new indigenous territories were created in Brazil. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. concerns remain about whether these promises will translate into tangible change. Threats to indigenous communities persist. During the conference, Survival International reported the violent death of a Guarani Kaiowá leader in southern Brazil.

**Klamath River Restoration**

Just one year after the historic removal of four dams along California's Klamath River, salmon have returned to their traditional spawning grounds.

"There are salmon everywhere on the landscape right now," said Michael Harris, environmental manager for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Klamath Watershed Program. "The speed of their return is remarkable."

Salmon had been absent from the upstream areas of the river for generations. A tribal-led campaign led to the removal of four hydroelectric dams in 2024, which had severely polluted the river for decades, allowing the Klamath to flow freely again.