HELLO AGAIN

Hello

And welcome to a new year. January can feel like an overwhelming time – new resolutions, the weight of an entire year ahead, and reflections on the past 12 months all colliding at once. It’s easy to dwell on what went wrong instead of celebrating what went right. 

When it comes to our planet, it’s no different. Maybe 2025 will just be a rerun of 2024. But what if it’s not?

MAJOR MOMENTS COMING IN 2025

These days it seems like there's only one story, and it's far from positive: the planet is heating up at an alarming rate, and biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, and overfishing are bringing devastating consequences for both people and the natural world. Each year presents us with a clean slate and an opportunity to do things differently. Over the next 365 days, several major events will shape our planet’s future:

• Starting in 2025, the European Space Agency (ESA) will launch the first of three satellites, CO2M-A, as part of the Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring (CO2M) mission. CO2M-B will follow approximately six months later, with CO2M-C expected about a year after that. These satellites will monitor CO2 levels and distinguish between emissions from natural sources and human activity, providing critical data for tracking progress on decarbonisation projects and climate action.

• As Donald Trump begins his second term, experts warn that it could significantly hinder global climate progress. He has already signed an order to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement and signalled plans to potentially withdraw the country from the entire UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). However, global economics have shifted significantly since Trump was last president with global economies now increasingly favouring the clean energy transition rather than working against it.

• In February, countries are required to submit their new ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ (NDCs). These climate action plans, which outline how nations will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect their citizens from climate impacts over the next decade, are revised every five years under the Paris Agreement. Several countries have submitted their updates, but some major emitters such as China and India have yet to do so.

• Plastic treaty talks will continue from mid-2025. Delegates failed to resolve key disagreements on addressing plastic pollution last year; now they reconvene for a final conference, with hopes of signing a treaty by year’s end. Major sticking points include whether nations should prioritise cutting plastic production or reducing waste through recycling, banning harmful chemicals, improving waste management and securing financing.

• The third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), co-organised by France and Costa Rica, takes place over five days in June. The conference, to be held in Nice, will drive action to conserve and sustainably use the ocean, supporting SDG 14: ‘Life Below Water’, and set targets and timelines to protect the ocean for years to come.

• COP30 gets underway in Belém, Brazil, in November, carrying both symbolic and practical weight as it unfolds on the edge of the Amazon rainforest. With the return of President Lula, Brazil has once again positioned itself as a climate leader, with significant drops in deforestation and calls for stronger global climate action. This summit provides another opportunity for nations to update 2035 emissions targets and renew momentum after the impasse of COP29. With rising fossil fuel use and global temperatures threatening progress, COP30 is yet another test of whether world leaders can deliver on bold climate commitments.

These critical environmental moments will shape the year ahead, but 2025 may also bring unexpected changes. We’ll be expecting the unexpected, and keeping a close eye on it all.

OCEAN BULLETIN

🐠 2024 was Earth's hottest year, experts say, surpassing 1.5°C for the first time.

🐠 South Australia boosts protection for sharks by banning fishing of endangered species.

🐠 Planes are dumping ocean water to fight the Los Angeles fires – here's why saltwater is a last resort.

🐠 A massive sea bug named after ‘Darth Vader’ has been discovered in the South China Sea.

🐠 Scientists find the first strong link between the Deepwater Horizon spill and whale and dolphin population declines in the region.

CREATURE FEATURE

“Picture a panda bear dressed up in a skeleton Halloween costume… but shrink it down to less than an inch and put it underwater.” That’s the way NPR science correspondent Jonathan Lambert described the 2024 discovery of a new animal species off the coast of Japan. 

Clavelina ossipandae is a species of sea squirt, a type of marine-filter-feeding invertebrate whose skeleton-like body structure and black spots mimic those of a panda, hence the common name ‘skeleton panda sea squirt’. Commonly living in groups of four, they definitely look like a gaggle of trick-or-treaters!

Image credits
Waving otter © Marc Webber; USFWS | Great White Shark hunting © Andy Casagrande | CO2 Monitoring satellite © Copernicus | Donald Trump © Dominick Reuter | Hammerhead shark in fishing net © Toby Matthews | Octopus © Enrico Somogyi | Skeleton panda sea squirt © Naohiro Hasegawa and Hiroshi Kajihara