Here are the year’s breakthroughs for the climate and nature one might have missed according to BBC.
This year’s environmental backdrop is familiar: emissions are rising and nature is continuing to decline. But there have nevertheless been bright spots in 2025. Targeted action in clean energy, conservation and indigenous rights have led to some tangible positive results for the climate and nature.
These quiet breakthroughs can sometimes go unheard amidst the noise of the news cycle. So, from dramatic growth in renewable power to the return of endangered turtles and tigers, the BBC revisits seven milestones reached in 2025.
First one is the Surging renewables
Wind, solar and other renewable power sources overtook coal as the world’s leading source of electricity this year. The global growth in renewables is driven by China, which is massively expanding its clean energy output and dominating exports of clean-energy technologies. In addition to huge growth in solar, China is even harnessing the power of extreme storms with typhoon-resistant wind farms.
Other countries have also seen striking advances thanks to wind. In the UK, a 2025 review found that wind had become the largest single energy source the previous year, covering about one-third of demand, while coal has practically disappeared as a power source. The UK is also making strides in how to store clean energy when the wind isn’t blowing (or the Sun isn’t shining) by starting to build the world’s largest liquid-air-battery storage facility in the north of the UK.
Globally, the rate of growth in renewable power capacity is accelerating in more than 80% of countries. By 2030, overall renewable power capacity is on track to double compared to today’s levels, according to the International Energy Agency.
Read more of the achievements here.
