One year after devastating wildfires swept through Los Angeles, killing more than 30 people and destroying tens of thousands of homes, communities are coming together to rebuild with hope for the future.

Before we had environmental safeguards, smog filled the air and toxic waste clogged our waterways. These days belong in the past. And yet, the Trump administration is trying to reverse our progress. We’ve been fighting for the environment for over five decades, and this year won’t be any different.

AI’s rapid growth is driving up energy demand, straining electric grids, and polluting vulnerable communities. Powering AI data centers with renewables is cleaner, cheaper, and key to an equitable energy future.

2025 exposed the limits of natural gas around the world, revealing it as a risky investment due to its high emissions, extreme cost volatility, and growing inability to compete with cheaper renewable energy.

Remember to make time for the things that fill your cup. Take it easy, and we’ll pick up where we left off in the new year.

Congress wants to weaken the Marine Mammals Protection Act, a key ocean conservation law that’s safeguarded species for over 50 years. The proposed rollbacks would strip protections for marine life and expose them to harmful industrial activity.

Increasing energy demand strains an electric grid that still relies on aging fossil-fuel power plants. And as the Trump administration cuts solar and wind programs, we’re forced to continue relying on those old, expensive energy sources.

Earlier this year, we lost Robert Redford, a giant in the environmental movement and a longtime friend and Trustee of NRDC. His legacy and spirit will live on in everything we do as we continue the fight to make the world better than it was yesterday.

Amid the chaos, 2025 brought meaningful wins for the environment. From global renewable energy surpassing coal to several endangered species making remarkable comebacks, this year marked real progress for the planet.

The Trump administration is propping up the coal industry with costly handouts while forcing owners to keep outdated plants running. These moves will raise electricity bills and worsen air pollution—neither of which communities can afford.

This year, stakeholders at local, state, federal, and international levels made significant progress in reducing food waste, even as critical programs and funding are under threat.

CITES, a global body regulating wildlife trade, met last month to strengthen protections for vulnerable species. The U.S. urged for stronger enforcement, but global progress lags behind. Moving forward, we need bold leadership to safeguard global wildlife and secure their future.

Despite climate challenges at the federal level, local governments and international partners were still able to implement important climate victories in 2025. As we welcome a new year, we must build on the momentum and expand on solutions to protect our planet. https://on.nrdc.org/4azF1iF

President Trump’s attacks on offshore wind come as electricity prices are spiking, undermining projects that would deliver reliable, affordable power.

The Arctic is home to the iconic reindeer, also known as caribou, a keystone species that’s essential to the health of ecosystems throughout the region. It is unquestionably no place for oil drilling. 👇🧵

The Trump administration’s decision to pause construction on five new offshore wind farms jeopardizes projects that would have provided reliable, affordable power to over 2.5 million homes. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/climate/trump-offshore-wind-farms.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

The Trump administration wants to roll back the Oil and Gas Leasing Rule, increasing subsidies to the fossil fuel industry and threatening wildlife habitat and public health. This rule is common sense: Big Oil should clean up their mess, not leave communities to foot the bill.

These new tax rules targeting solar and wind power are bad for workers, the air we breathe, and the millions of families getting squeezed by higher utility bills. So, we’re suing the Trump administration to stop them.

With your support, our lawyers, scientists, and advocates will keep working around the clock to stop the Trump administration’s relentless environmental rollbacks. Donate to help power our fight: https://on.nrdc.org/4p0z8yv

We had no days off this year as the Trump administration pushed a dangerous agenda that waged countless attacks on our environment. With the new year around the corner, we have a renewed purpose to keep fighting.

Driving costs are at an all time high and traffic is polluting communities, so Illinois is investing in a better future for Chicagoland. The new transportation law will help communities stay connected and save families money.

We have been fighting to keep wild places wild for decades, and with your help, we have delivered comments that drive our messaging home: Keep polluters out of pristine public lands and spaces. 👇🧵

The Trump administration’s latest attacks on the Endangered Species Act would weaken safeguards for species and their habitats, making it harder to establish new protections. These actions endanger not only wildlife, but also the healthy ecosystems that support us all.

The Trump administration moved to rollback the Endangered Species Act, weakening protections for vulnerable species against extractive industries. The proposed changes would restrict our ability to protect species from climate change—with consequences for decades to come.

The Trump administration spent 2025 stuck in 1955, trying to make families pay more for outdated, dangerous coal power. 👇🧵

What can we do to lessen plastic pollution? Our plastics expert Renée Sharp breaks it down for us in the latest episode of our podcast, What the Earth: https://on.nrdc.org/4pxDxd6

It’s been a long year, but we made it—thanks to all of you who supported us every step of the way. Donate to help us keep up the fight: https://on.nrdc.org/4p0z8yv

Good news! Maryland Governor Wes Moore says he will fund a study that will calculate the costs of climate change. This decision will help the state understand the true costs of the damages caused by the climate crisis.

Our plastics expert Renée Sharp explains how the industry has been lying to us and why we need to end our dependence on plastic. Listen to the full episode of our podcast, What the Earth: https://on.nrdc.org/4pxDxd6

From removing lead pipes to supporting laws that target toxic chemicals, we’ve been fighting for safe drinking water for decades, and this year was no different. 👇🧵

The Trump Administration is attacking FEMA at a time when climate disasters are hitting communities hard. NRDC Senior Attorney, Joel Scata, talks through the recent changes that are reshaping how the agency helps communities prepare and recover from disasters.

Gas leaks are senseless pollution, as companies lose the very product they want to sell. Delaying crackdowns on these leaks will increase methane pollution—a greenhouse gas that’s 80x more powerful than CO2—and dangerous smog. We won’t let Trump’s EPA give out another free pass to polluters.

The Trump administration should use this court ruling as a wake-up call: it’s time to stop illegal actions and get out of the way of a clean energy future.

A recent study found that plastic pollution and climate change go hand in hand. Rising temperatures break plastics up faster and climate disasters help spread microplastics and the chemicals they contain widely—leading to more harm for our health and the environment.

As D.C. slams the brakes on climate action, Illinois is going full speed ahead. Its new clean energy law will help accelerate the transition to a renewable future, expand jobs, protect families from price spikes, and invest in communities.

Hundreds of species nearly went extinct until they gained protections under the Endangered Species Act. Submit a comment to help defend this bedrock environmental law and the critical wildlife that depend on it: https://on.nrdc.org/48uwJqI

Catastrophic floods and landslides have killed more than 1350 people across Asia in recent weeks. A stark reminder of the planet-warming emissions behind these extreme weather events, which are making them more common.

Zero-emission trucks promise big wins for air quality, climate goals, and fuel costs, but hidden prices are making it harder for buyers to modernize their fleets.

Environmental litigation is not for the weak—our chief counsel Mitch Bernard walks us through just how prepared the litigation team has to be to take on mammoth court cases. Listen to the full episode of our podcast, “What the Earth”: https://on.nrdc.org/3XsuAFQ

Extreme floods are hitting Vermont harder, leaving it up to local residents to pay for the damages. But the state has a law that requires fossil fuel companies to fund life-saving projects that will help prepare and protect communities from future climate disasters.

The Trump administration is sticking drivers with higher costs at the pump by gutting rules that were expected to save Americans $23 billion. As families struggle to make ends meet, this is only good news for oil companies.

Our chief counsel Mitch Bernard walks us through his career and how litigation is often the last line of protection we have against misconduct, wrongdoings, and injustice. Listen to the full episode of “What the Earth”: https://on.nrdc.org/3XsuAFQ

We graded 65 U.S. toilet paper brands on just how sustainable they truly are and found that 29 rely on forest fiber, which drives devastating impacts to essential forests like the boreal in Canada. See how other toilet paper brands scored: https://on.nrdc.org/4rzeYhp

President Trump’s EPA gave the fossil fuel industry another free pass to pollute—delaying cuts in methane leaks from the oil and gas sector. Left unchecked, methane leaks will only increase smog, cancer-causing pollutants, and climate risks.

Devastating floods in Southeast Asia have killed hundreds of people, with many still missing. Extreme weather events like this will only become more frequent and more intense—urging us to confront climate change head-on.

The rapid growth of AI is driving up energy demands, but it could also spur something unexpected: a renewable energy boom. Here’s why: https://on.nrdc.org/3KjEDtO

Our chief counsel, Mitch Bernard, breaks down what keeps our lawyers inspired and motivated during another Trump era. Listen to the latest episode of NRDC’s podcast, “What the Earth”: https://on.nrdc.org/3XsuAFQ

The Trump administration’s plan to open over a billion acres of U.S. oceans to offshore drilling will increase climate-warming pollution, endanger marine life and coastal communities, and raise the risk of catastrophic oil spills.

Manatees, sea turtles, monarch butterflies, and many more are at risk of extinction under the Trump administration’s plan to roll back protections for imperiled species. We’ll continue to defend the Endangered Species Act and all the wildlife that depend on it for survival.

Heating food in plastic containers or packaging releases harmful plastic particles and chemicals into your food. Enjoy your leftovers without the microplastics by transferring your food into glass or ceramic dishes before microwaving it!