“Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025" Article Reflection No. 166 (1/2/2026)

Article: “Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025”

Reflection:

In the BBC article “Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025,” journalists Jocelyn Timperley, Katherine Latham, Lucy Sherriff, Isabelle Gerretsen, India Bourke, Martha Henriques, and Sophie Hardach provide an overview of beneficial gains related to climate and the environment. These gains include a climate-related International Court of Justice legal case ruling that nations could sue one another as a way to uphold accountability on the global scale regarding climate action. The beneficial changes from over the previous year also includes the Klamath restoration of salmon in the river’s upstream regions following a successful campaign against several hydroelectric dams, according to the article.  

Something that I genuinely appreciate in this article is actually the introduction, which includes a note about how “quiet breakthroughs can sometimes go unheard amidst the noise of the news cycle.” it’s a point that truly resonates with me. Learning about the progress made in terms of renewable power sources and wildlife, along with (e.g.) the restoration of salmon to the spawn grounds in the Klamath river brings me a sense of hope. I wonder how we can provide people more hope about things that seem to be changing for the worse. Of course, being realistic and transparent with that is a priority. But at the same time, considering what steps can help make progress for the future or the current moment are also important considerations. It's a challenging question. I also wonder how these gains will shape the future path of climate-related action and legislation for marginalized groups. Based on the funding trends from the federal government over the past year, it honestly doesn't seem very positive. But we can hope for better in the future.