The Critical Environmental Events to look out for in 2025

5 climate and nature milestones

As the global community strives to tackle the dual crises of climate change and environmental degradation, the year 2025 emerges as a pivotal point for action, reflection, and innovation. This year is set to bring about significant events, advancements, and policy decisions that could shape the future of our planet. Below, we delve into the most important climate and nature milestones to look out for this year. 

1. Climate change committee’s emissions advice (February 2025)

In February, all eyes will be on the UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) as they unveil their next round of recommendations. This time, the focus isn’t just on cutting down greenhouse gas emissions but on actively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Their guidance for the period from 2038 to 2042 will incorporate groundbreaking approaches to offset residual emissions—especially from stubborn sectors like agriculture and aviation. Strategies could include:

• Peatland restoration: Reviving these ecosystems to act as carbon sinks.
• Afforestation: Planting trees to absorb atmospheric CO₂.
• Direct Air Capture (DAC): Using technology to remove CO₂ directly from the air.

With global leaders increasingly endorsing the importance of these carbon removal methods, 2025 may mark a turning point in building scalable solutions to bridge the gap to net-zero.

2. COP30 UN Climate Summit in the Amazon (November 2025)

One of the most anticipated moments of 2025 is undoubtedly the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) taking place in November. Hosted in Belém, Brazil—a city in the heart of the Amazon rainforest—this climate summit holds deep symbolic and practical significance.

The location highlights the Amazon’s role as a critical carbon sink and a biodiversity hotspot. Yet, it is a region under severe threat due to deforestation, agriculture, and illegal mining. COP30 represents:

• An opportunity for bold commitments: Nations are expected to submit updated targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, in alignment with the Paris Agreement’s goals.
• A global focus on preservation: By gathering leaders in the Amazon, the conference can underscore the urgency of protecting rainforests and the communities that depend on them.

This summit also offers a crucial platform for reigniting momentum in the wake of COP29. With global fossil fuel consumption and rising temperatures continuing to challenge progress, all eyes will be on Belém for solutions.

3. Temperature trends and global heat levels

The past few years have shattered temperature records, leaving much of the world grappling with the consequences of extreme heat. While 2025 may offer a slight reprieve thanks to the cooling La Niña phenomenon, the broader picture remains troubling.

The devastating wildfires in LA this week have been a prime example of this. There are currently at least 5 confirmed deaths, hundreds of thousands of residents forced to flee and one decimated town has been completely wiped off the map.

Last year’s El Nino weather system brought heavy rains that fuelled excessive vegetation growth in the first half of 2024. Then in the second half of the year there was drought across southern California, with only 4mm of rain in central LA. Those dry conditions combined with the strong winds have spread the fires quickly. The winds blow from inland towards the coast and reach speeds of more than 160km/h. Experts have also pointed to the unusually high winter temperatures in LA which are currently about 20°C when 13°C is more usual.

Scientists from the UK Met Office predict that 2025 will still rank among the hottest years ever recorded, even if temperatures dip slightly compared to the unprecedented highs of 2024. This underscores how much human activity has entrenched climate change into the fabric of our planet’s systems.

It also serves as a stark reminder of the urgency needed to:

• Implement sustainable policies.
• Transition away from fossil fuels.
• Scale up nature-based solutions like mangrove restoration and wetland conservation.

4. The expansion of carbon removal technologies

With ‘net-zero’ becoming a global mantra, attention is shifting to carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. While emissions reductions remain vital, removing CO₂ already in the atmosphere is increasingly being acknowledged as a necessary parallel strategy.

Expect 2025 to spotlight advances in:

• Direct Air Capture (DAC): Facilities designed to trap and store CO₂ directly from the atmosphere.
• Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS): A process combining bioenergy production with carbon storage for enhanced carbon neutrality.

Governments and private companies alike are ramping up investments in these areas. Key developments in scaling such technologies could determine their accessibility and affordability in the near future.

5. Policy and action on fossil fuel reduction

As the impacts of climate change grow increasingly visible, political and public pressure to limit fossil fuel use will intensify in 2025. A significant number of nations and states are likely to face difficult but necessary decisions to restrict coal, oil, and natural gas use.

These measures may involve:

• Phasing out subsidies: Removing financial incentives for fossil fuel industries.
• Carbon pricing mechanisms: Introducing higher taxes on high-emission activities to incentivize greener choices.
• Investing in renewable energy: Scaling up wind, solar, and other renewable projects to offset fossil fuel dependency.

The policy frameworks and investments launched this year will have profound implications for energy markets and emission trajectories heading into the 2030s.

6. Nature and biodiversity initiatives in 2025

While climate discussions often dominate headlines, biodiversity conservation is an equally urgent challenge. In 2025, expect key milestones in global efforts to:

• Implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, aimed at halting biodiversity loss by 2030.
• Protect marine ecosystems through the UN’s High Seas Treaty, which seeks to preerve biodiversity in international waters.
• Expand the use of indigenous land management practices, integrating them into broader conservation strategies.

With habitat destruction and species extinction accelerating, 2025 may see a global shift in addressing the roots of this crisis.