Some major upcoming events in 2025 are set to change the survival rules for our planet in terms of climate and nature.

In this report, two environmental journalists from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) analyze what these events might mean for the climate and nature.

With countries unveiling new climate goals, Donald Trump returning back to the White House for a second term, and a ruling that could change the game in future climate lawsuits, 2025 is set to be a big year for climate and nature.

In his New Year's message in late December, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the world is currently witnessing a "climate breakdown."

Here are seven major events in 2025 that could change the course of climate and nature.

January... Trump's return to the White House

This year will witness the beginning of Trump's second presidency, which many experts warn will be a major setback for climate action.

Trump said he plans to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, the legally binding UN treaty on climate change, and he may carry out this threat.

However, some experts say that the momentum now in favor of the transition to green energy is irreversible, regardless of any actions Trump may take.

Christiana Figueres, the former UN climate chief, told the BBC in November, "The outcome of this election will be seen as a major blow to global climate action, but it cannot and will not stop the ongoing changes to decarbonize the economy and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement."

February... Arrival of the new national climate goals

February 2025 is another important date on the United Nations climate calendar, and under the Paris Agreement framework, this is the deadline for countries to submit new climate action plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

These plans are updated every five years and outline how countries intend to decarbonize their economies and protect their citizens from climate impacts over the next ten years.

The new plans are part of what is called the "progress mechanism" in the Paris Agreement, which aims to increase the climate ambitions of individual countries over time towards achieving collective goals.

Biodiversity talks

In February, there is also another opportunity to address the nature crisis.

In February next year, the discussions on biodiversity are also scheduled to resume in the second part of the COP16 Biodiversity Summit, which will be held this year in late February in Rome, Italy.

Through this summit, countries discuss how to implement the goal of protecting 30% of the Earth's lands and seas by 2030, which was agreed upon in December 2022.

2025’s first quarter... A historic climate lawsuit

Climate lawsuits have proliferated significantly over the past few years, with all parties, from governments to fossil fuel companies and airlines, defending themselves in court against claims for climate-related damages or failure to take adequate action on carbon emissions.

And there are now thousands of global lawsuits related to climate change, many of which are still ongoing.

Veselina Newman from ClientEarth, a non-profit organization concerned with environmental law in the UK, says, pointing to cases in Korea, Germany, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and the European Court of Human Rights, "2024 has already seen a series of game-changing climate court rulings."

Newman adds, "This year we will look at how governments act on them, how these decisions affect other court rulings in the future, or what additional lawsuits they inspire."

Joanna Setzer, an assistant professor at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment in London, says she expects 2025 to be "another pivotal year for climate lawsuits."

The main judicial ruling to pay attention to is the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice regarding the obligations of states to address climate damage.

The court's legal opinion was requested after a proposal presented by the island nation of Vanuatu at the United Nations in 2023 received support from more than 130 countries.

Vanuatu, which consists of around 80 islands, faces the threat of rising sea levels. The International Court of Justice is expected to issue a ruling in early 2025, which will be non-binding but can be cited in climate cases worldwide.

May... Satellite monitoring

In recent years, there has been a wave of new satellite launches to collect data on climate as well as methane and carbon dioxide emissions.

New satellites also help countries reduce deforestation and enable scientists to track changing migration patterns of wildlife and marine life.

These satellites can provide a global overview and an unprecedented level of detail about environmental pollution and changes.

We expect to see more detailed data coming next year, following the new launches this year.

For example, the launch of MicroCarb, the first European satellite dedicated to measuring sources of carbon dioxide and emissions in the atmosphere, is scheduled for May 2025.

However, the European Space Agency (ESA) won't launch the high-resolution CO2M satellite until 2026.

Mid-2025... Ongoing debate about plastic

In 2024, countries failed to reach an agreement on addressing plastic pollution after more than two years of negotiations.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the delegates in the talks agreed to reconvene in 2025, and they now anticipate holding the next round of talks in mid-2025 through a new conference, with the goal of signing a treaty by the end of 2025.

The main disagreement is whether countries should commit to reducing plastic production or focus on waste reduction by increasing plastic recycling.

There was also tension regarding the amount of financial support that should be provided to help developing countries transition to less polluting business models and whether the agreed-upon measures should be voluntary or legally binding.

November... COP30

As the year 2025 comes to an end, the month of November witnesses the largest climate event of the year, the 30th Conference of the Parties.

Belém, Brazil will host the annual United Nations climate conference to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the historic Paris Agreement, in which countries committed to preventing global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.