7 Positive Environmental News Stories That Give Us Hope In 2025
7 Positive Environmental News Stories That Give Us Hope In 2025
Author: Delilah Harvey
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve felt the weight of eco-anxiety over the past year.
In 2024, we saw extreme weather events, unusual weather patterns, and mounting evidence of the dangers of plastics, forever chemicals, and pollution on both human health and the planet.
“Acknowledging and celebrating wins, stories of hope, and exciting solutions can be a powerful catalyst for action, connection, and sustained forward momentum. ”
Many of us likely had a moment — or even a few — this past year where we thought to ourselves, “it shouldn’t feel this hot this time of year,” or, “it shouldn’t feel this cold this time of year.” And with last year going down as the warmest year on record, the urgency of the climate crisis is clearer than ever.
While it’s important to be aware of challenges we face, constant negative headlines can lead to further overwhelm, paralysis, and inaction.
Acknowledging and celebrating wins, stories of hope, and exciting solutions can be a powerful catalyst for action, connection, and sustained forward momentum. We’re taking a moment to recap some of the exciting positive environmental news worth celebrating.
1. The U.S. introduced new limits on forever chemicals in drinking water
Forever chemicals have been all over the news this year, and rightly so. With mounting evidence linking the toxic chemicals found in our water and everyday products to a myriad of potential health risks, consumers have turned to demanding stricter regulations on our exposure. In April 2024, the EPA set its first-ever national legally enforceable limits on PFAS in drinking water — a major win for public health. The new regulation, which requires public water systems to reduce contamination by 2029, will help reduce PFAS exposure for approximately 100 million people.
2. The EU’s Nature Restoration Law
The European Union’s Natural Restoration Law is the first continent-wide, comprehensive law of
its kind, representing a commitment to restoring damaged ecosystems while simultaneously boosting biodiversity. The law responds to an alarming decline of Europe’s habitats, with more than 80% reportedly in poor condition. These strategic efforts aim to restore 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, while restoring all degraded ecosystems by 2050.
3. 42-year sea turtle nest record broken on Anna Maria Island
Protecting endangered species like loggerhead sea turtles is important, as they have been harmed by ocean pollution, human activity, and habitat loss. On Anna Maria Island, off the Gulf Coast of Florida, conservation efforts led to a record 546 sea turtle nests, breaking a 42-year-old record. The island also saw the return of the least tern, a threatened bird species, for the first time in 15 years, thanks to ongoing coastal preservation initiatives. These successes demonstrate the positive effects of long-term conservation on both sea turtles and other local wildlife.
With the continued uptick in increased national disasters and unpredictable weather patterns, national parks need continued protection against future effects of climate change. The good news? The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act helped ensure that US National Parks received $700 million in federal funds to help facilitate conservation efforts, starting in 2024. An example of an important project already underway is a $5.3 million project that mitigates the loss of coral infected by disease at Dry Tortugas, the Virgin Islands, and four other national parks.
4. More than three quarters of UK universities joined a fossil fuel pledge
More than three-quarters of UK universities have pledged to exclude fossil fuel companies from their investment portfolios, according to the student campaign group People & Planet. This move followed years of campaigning by students and staff across the higher education sector in the UK. The win represents a whopping $17 billion in endowments that are now out of reach of the fossil fuel industry.
5. Montana Supreme Court affirmed decision in historic youth climate case
The Montana Supreme Court upheld a district court ruling in the nation’s first constitutional climate change trial. Filed in March 2020, Held v. Montana was brought by 16 youth plaintiffs who alleged the state had violated their right to a clean and healthful environment. In the groundbreaking ruling, the court ruled that the state’s children have a “fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment.” The success of the case contributes to the rise and power of youth leadership in climate.
6. Strengthening climate resilience in Pakistan
The World Wildlife Fund’s Recharge Pakistan project is channeling $78 million to strengthen climate resilience, water security, and sustainable livelihoods in Pakistan. The project seeks to take a multifaceted approach across forest and wetland restoration, water flow rehabilitation, and recharge basin development. The WWF estimates these efforts directly benefit more than 680,000 people and indirectly support more than 7 million.
7. The UK closed its last coal-fired power plant
The UK was the first country in the world to use coal for public power generation and the fossil fuel was the “lifeblood of the industrial revolution.” The closing of the nation’s last coal-fired power plant was thus both a monumental and symbolic moment. The UK was the birthplace of coal power and now is the first country in the world to give it up.
While the climate challenges that lie ahead are undeniable and significant, there are many advancements underway — and to come — that give us hope and propel us forward. Let’s carry forward the momentum of these victories and channel our collective energy into driving even greater progress. Together, we can turn hope into action and build a healthier, more sustainable world for generations to come.
