The environmental picture in has followed a familiar and troubling pattern: greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and ecosystems around the world remain under pressure. Even so, the year has not been without progress. According to a BBC review, a series of focused interventions in renewable energy, wildlife conservation, forest protection and indigenous rights produced meaningful positive outcomes for the planet.
Many of these developments attracted little attention amid a crowded global news agenda. Yet taken together — from the rapid expansion of clean energy to notable recoveries of endangered species — they mark important steps forward. The BBC has identified seven such milestones reached during 2025 that suggest change, while slow, is possible.
Renewables surge ahead
Wind, solar and other renewable energy sources became the world’s largest source of electricity this year, overtaking coal for the first time. This global shift has been driven largely by China, which continues to expand its clean energy capacity at an unprecedented scale while dominating exports of renewable technologies.
China’s growth has been especially striking in solar power, but the country has also invested heavily in wind energy, including the development of wind farms designed to withstand extreme weather. Some installations are now able to operate during typhoons, allowing energy production even in severe storm conditions.
Progress has not been limited to China. In the UK, a government review published in 2025 found that wind power had become the single largest source of electricity the previous year, meeting roughly one-third of national demand. Coal, once central to the country’s energy system, has now all but disappeared. Britain has also moved to address one of renewables’ key challenges — storage — by beginning construction of what is expected to be the world’s largest liquid-air energy storage facility in northern England, designed to store power for times when wind and sunlight are limited.
On a global scale, renewable energy capacity is expanding at an accelerating pace in more than 80% of countries. The International Energy Agency says current trends put the world on track to double total renewable capacity by 2030.
Much of this expansion can be traced back to China’s clean energy drive. Analysis by Carbon Brief shows that the country’s carbon dioxide emissions fell in the 12 months leading up to May 2025 — the first such decline on record. Although analysts caution it is too early to draw firm conclusions, the data suggests China’s emissions may be approaching a peak, a trend that appeared to continue later in the year.
China also updated its emissions-reduction commitments, although many other countries failed to submit revised pledges ahead of UN climate negotiations. Despite the strong growth in clean power, experts warn that the transition is still not happening quickly enough to prevent dangerous levels of global warming.
New protections for the oceans
Waters beyond national boundaries — known as the high seas — account for almost two-thirds of the world’s oceans. Until now, only about 1% of this vast area has been protected. That is set to change following a major international breakthrough.
After years of negotiations, the High Seas Treaty, agreed in 2023, was ratified by a sufficient number of countries in September 2025 to enter into force. Under the agreement, nations commit to protecting 30% of international waters by designating marine protected areas aimed at conserving habitats, species and overall ocean health.
National waters also saw expanded protection. In French Polynesia, authorities established the world’s largest marine protected area, covering around 1.1 million square kilometres of ocean. The new reserve is designed to safeguard one of the planet’s richest marine ecosystems.
Forests show signs of recovery
Brazil placed forests at the centre of global climate discussions this year as it hosted COP30, the first UN climate summit held in the Amazon rainforest. The talks, held in Belém, became known informally as the “forest COP”.
While progress on formal commitments was uneven, Brazil announced plans to develop a roadmap to deliver on a previous pledge to end deforestation by 2030. More than 90 countries supported the initiative, although it sits outside the official summit text and its legal status remains unclear.
Brazil also launched a new financial mechanism, the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), designed to reward countries and communities for preserving forests rather than cutting them down. Unlike many existing funds that focus on emissions reductions, the TFFF aims to provide long-term financial incentives for maintaining intact forest areas. The facility has set a target of $125 billion, though pledges so far remain well below that level.
Encouragingly, there were tangible improvements on the ground. Official Brazilian data shows deforestation in the Amazon fell by 11% in the year up to July 2025, reaching its lowest level in more than a decade. Losses also declined in the Cerrado, another critical biodiversity hotspot. Independent monitoring group Imazon reported a 43% drop in forest clearing in October 2025 compared with the same month a year earlier.
Globally, a UN report released in 2025 found that annual deforestation rates between 2015 and 2025 were 38% lower than during the 1990s, with more than half of the world’s forests now covered by long-term management plans. Nonetheless, the report noted that around 10.9 million hectares of forest are still being lost each year.
A significant climate ruling
In a landmark decision, the International Court of Justice issued an opinion that could reshape global climate litigation. The ruling clarified that countries may pursue legal action against one another over climate-related harm.
Although the opinion is not legally binding, legal experts say it carries considerable authority and could influence how climate cases are handled in national and international courts. Environmental lawyers described the decision as a turning point in efforts to hold major polluters accountable.
Wildlife rebounds
Several endangered species recorded notable recoveries in 2025, highlighting the impact of long-term conservation efforts.
Green sea turtles, once heavily hunted for their eggs and shells, were officially moved from “endangered” to “least concern” on the IUCN Red List. Decades of protection — including beach conservation, hatchling releases and efforts to reduce accidental capture in fishing gear — have allowed populations to recover. In related news, Florida reported a record number of leatherback turtle nests this year.
India also marked a major conservation success. The country is now home to around 75% of the world’s tigers, having doubled its tiger population to more than 3,600 in just over a decade. The animals inhabit an area roughly half the size of the UK alongside tens of millions of people. Conservationists say India’s experience offers valuable lessons on protecting large predators while supporting local communities.
Indigenous voices gain ground
Indigenous peoples achieved long-sought recognition in global environmental governance in 2025. At the UN’s COP16 biodiversity summit, held earlier in the year, indigenous representatives were granted a formal role in decision-making through the creation of a permanent committee, replacing their previous informal status.
The emphasis on indigenous knowledge continued at COP30 in Brazil, where indigenous delegates formed the largest such presence in the history of climate talks, with an estimated 2,500 participants. The summit included new funding commitments and promises to recognise indigenous land rights, including the creation of 10 new indigenous territories in Brazil. However, concerns remain about whether these commitments will be fully implemented.
Rivers restored
In the United States, salmon returned in large numbers to the upper reaches of California’s Klamath River just one year after the removal of four hydroelectric dams. The dams, which had polluted the river for decades, were dismantled in 2024 following a long-running, tribal-led campaign.
Officials described the speed of the salmon’s return as remarkable, noting that the fish had been absent from these spawning grounds for generations. The restoration of the Klamath is now being seen as a powerful example of how river ecosystems can recover when long-standing barriers are removed.