All over the world, individuals, governments, and businesses continue to take action to preserve life. Here is our selection of the best news for the planet in 2025. It is uplifting, inspiring, and motivates action.
1. France: New statistics confirm there is no citizen-led ecological backlash
Contrary to what some politicians and leaders claim, the French population understands the ecological crisis and wants to take action, and some are already doing so.
According to surveys:
Contrary to what some politicians and leaders claim, the French population understands the ecological crisis and wants to take action, and some are already doing so.
According to surveys:
- 91% of French people understand climate change, and 89% say they are worried about it (Ipsos, October 2025).
- The vast majority of French people support renewable energy, particularly 94% of those living near wind farms who have a positive view of it (Ifop, June 2025).
- The French expect more ambitious public policies. For example, 84% of French people support a law to ban advertising for products with a high environmental impact (ADEME, September 2025).
2. Global: Coal-fired power plant construction declines dramatically
Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, 60 countries have drastically reduced their plans to build coal-fired power plants: Japan, Vietnam, and Turkey have cut their plans by 98%; Germany, South Korea, and 33 other countries have removed them from their energy strategies. Overall, the total planned capacity has fallen by 66%. China and India account for 92% of the projected future coal-fired power plants, even though both countries have reduced their plans by 60%.
Source : CarbonBrief, 08/04/2025
3. Norway suspends seabed mining until 2029
The new Norwegian government has postponed the granting of deep-sea mining licenses in the Arctic, pending an impact study.
Source : Euronews, 04/12/2025
4. Total Energie condemned for presenting itself as a major player in decarbonization
According to the Paris Judicial Court, the group misled consumers with its carbon neutrality promises, which constitutes "deceptive business practices." This unprecedented ruling against a major oil company requires it to remove, within one month, the misleading communications regarding carbon neutrality and the energy transition from its website, and to prominently display the court decision for 180 days.
Source : Le Monde, 23/10/2025
5. Spain: Due to the success of the train, Vueling temporarily suspends its Madrid-Barcelona flights
These two popular tourist destinations are now linked by four train companies in under 2 hours and 30 minutes. The trains even run 40 round trips per day. Besides these factors contributing to its success, the explanation also lies in the fact that flying is less convenient, considering arrival time at the airport and security checks, when the train journey takes less than 4 hours. Spain has significantly expanded its high-speed rail network: from 2013 to 2023, it increased by 66%, reaching 3,190 km.
Source : BFMTV, 04/03/2025
6. Landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ): States can be held responsible if they fail to meet climate obligations
The ICJ recognizes that climate change poses an existential threat to humanity. States that fail to meet their climate obligations could be required to make amends. This landmark decision paves the way for future national climate disputes, particularly for the world's biggest polluters.
Source : Le Monde, 23/07/2025
7. Louisiana (USA): Chevron ordered to pay $745 million for polluting a marsh
The American oil company Chevron has been found guilty by a court of polluting the marshes near New Orleans and failing to do anything to remediate them. The land is now permanently submerged. Although Chevron can appeal, this is a very significant decision: it is the first of its kind in a series of 42 similar cases, all targeting energy companies and seeking billions of dollars in damages.
Source : Le Monde, 07/04/2025
8. China has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 7 to 10% by 2035.
Although this promise is cautious compared to other countries, it is remarkable in the sense that until now the country had been content to aim for a peak in emissions before 2030.
Source : Bloomberg, 25/09/2025
9. World: Call to fight climate disinformation
France, Brazil, and Poland are mobilizing against climate disinformation, attempting to put it on the agenda of the upcoming COP30. The very first study on the subject recently showed how climate disinformation severely hinders climate action.
Source : QuotaClimat, 20/06/2025
10. Seoul (South Korea): The metropolis bans neonicotinoids to protect bees
Stopping the use of this insecticide will help to halt the sharp decline of the 7.8 billion honeybees, which represent 15% of the bees in the country.
Source : Korea Times, 20/05/2025
11. Construction of the photovoltaic panel gigafactory can now begin in Moselle
The company Hololis has received permission to build in Hambach. The site will produce 10 million solar panels per year and employ nearly 2,000 people starting in 2027. It will cover 18 hectares. The total investment is €850 million.
Source : France Bleu, 26/01/2025
12. Czech Republic: 8 beavers built a dam in just a few days that had been stalled for 7 years
This 'free' work was done by animals in this protected area, 50km south of Prague, by building a wetland with pools and canals. Avoiding a cost equivalent to €1 million, this dam is also considered to be of even better quality than human-made ones (a phenomenon already observed in Colorado).
Source : France TV Info, 12/02/2025
13. Environmental criteria are being given greater consideration in investments
Tens of billions of euros are invested each year in France for adaptation to climate change.
Source : Les Echos, 12/09/2025
14. UNOC: International progress on crucial ocean issues
The international ocean summit resulted in the 'Nice commitments for the ocean', a pledge by some sixty countries to ratify the High Seas Treaty, and the alignment of 37 countries with a moratorium on seabed exploitation. Many countries also promised to increase the size of their marine protected areas.
Source : Le Monde, 14/06/2025
15. Malaysia: The country refuses to continue importing American plastic waste
Several countries (generally developing) accept payment to receive waste from other countries (mostly Western), reflecting a flawed system in which a country pays to send the problem elsewhere, onto its citizens. China had previously refused.
Source : NY Times, 03/07/2025
16. Organic stores are projected to see record sales in 2025
Representing nearly half of the organic market in France, Biocoop (740 stores) is announcing a 7.5% increase in sales for the first half of 2025, compared to 2024, which was already a record year. The same is true for its competitor, La Vie Claire. Sales had plummeted between 2020 and 2023, before food prices rose much more sharply (22%) in supermarkets than at Biocoop (11%).
Source : Reporterre, 22/09/2025
17. Australia: Thanks to solar energy, the country will offer at least 3 hours of free electricity per day.
The government project plans a launch in July 2026 (during the Australian winter) in three states, including Sydney and Melbourne. It could be extended nationwide in 2027. The free electricity will be distributed at midday, during peak solar production. Australia's electricity mix remains heavily reliant on coal, with 46% of its electricity coming from the coal sector, but solar photovoltaics is projected to become the second largest source in 2024, accounting for 17.4%.
Source : Connaissances des énergies, 04/11/2025
18. South America: No more new coal-fired power plants
While 18 coal-fired power plant construction projects were planned in 2015, the Paris Agreement enabled the continent to stop them all within 10 years.
Source : Cleantechnica, 10/05/2025
19. Germany: A Deutsche Bank subsidiary is fined €25 million for greenwashing.
Asset manager DWS had sold investments as more sustainable than they actually were. The US regulator also fined this subsidiary €19 million in 2023 for greenwashing.
Source : All News, 02/04/2025
20. A lane now reserved for carpooling on the Paris ring road
Since the beginning of March, the far left lane has been reserved during peak hours for vehicles carrying two or more passengers. A warning period is in place until May 1st, after which drivers who do not comply will receive a €135 fine (verification carried out using an AI-powered radar).
Source : France TV Info, 03/03/2025
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