By Karlos Tse ‘27
When it comes to the end of the year, we often look at our Spotify Wrapped and other recaps summarizing our lives of the past 365 days. When we look at 2025, we also see some harsh topics that plague the news reminding us that this world we live in is tricky. As the big 26 settles in, I wanted to share some amazing things that happened in 2025.
In 2025, China, notorious for being one of the biggest carbon emitting countries, finally plateaued and dropped their overall CO2 emissions over the year. This was due to the rise in demand for renewable energy. Solar power was up 46% and power generation from wind increased by 11%. As we see one of the most impactful and influential countries begin to invest into renewable energy, we hope that the rest of the world will follow.
Last year’s conservation exploits also proved positive with the green turtle being reclassified from endangered to least concern. Several other species have been reclassified to a lesser concern however scientists are working towards de-extinction reportedly genetically engineering three dire wolf pups using CRISPR gene editing technology.
In India, the tiger population has significantly increased and while they are still classified as endangered, India is now home to over 3,600 tigers. They did this by reducing poaching, decreasing human-tiger interactions and promoting conservational efforts to promote their population.
The High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) was an international agreement formed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which hopes to protect biodiversity and the marine ecosystem of natural waters beyond national boundaries.
In January of 2025, the Democratic Republic of the Congo created one of the world’s largest forest reserves totaling 540,000km2, close to the size of France. This newly named Green Corridor will help promote natural African biodiversity by securing a safe habitat for endangered species while prohibiting deforestation.
A new program in Switzerland pilots solar panels directly placed on railway tracks generating clean, renewable energy without the need of building new infrastructure or distributing traffic. Indonesia Business Post suggests that this technology could generate up to 1 billion kilowatts of electricity per year, generating around 2% of Switzerland’s energy consumption.
With the rising temperatures around the world, places like Malaga can reach over 40 degrees celsius, posing serious health risks to elderly and vulnerable populations. Noticing this problem, a group of elderly crocheters banded together to create a massive overhead blanket, providing shade in Alhaurin de la Torre’s commercial centre. In turn, this beautiful tapestry drew in more tourists, boosting the town’s economy.
A world record was broken in Africa where the whole country of Ethiopia banded together to plant tree seedlings as a part of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali’s initiative called “Green Legacy”. The Ethiopian population planted over 714 million tree seedlings in just one day adding to their total 40 billion trees planted as a part of this initiative.
While environmental sustainability is surely a win, Organox provided a miraculous medical technology which allows organs to be stored outside of the body for longer. This resulted in an increase of 30% in transplant rates, enabled international engagement and lowered wait times.
On more international victories, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico signed a tri-national agreement protecting the Mayan jungle. This conservational triumph will be the second largest forest reserve, seconding the Amazon rainforest.
2025 was a rough year. News perpetuates the negativity of this world yet that shouldn’t take away from the global victories we all share. As we step into a new era of innovation, let us focus on our wins and celebrate with joy.