Why 1 Million Species Are on the Brink: Shocking Truths About Climate Change You Can't Ignore!

By Ray Johnson

The urgency of climate change has dominated headlines throughout the year, particularly during the critical COP30, or Conference of the Parties to the Paris Agreement. This year’s conference brought nations together to discuss their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets for 2035, with significant implications for global efforts to combat climate change. The consensus among experts is clear: population and economic growth remain the primary drivers of climate change, a reality underscored since 2007.

January began with alarming statistics from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), confirming that 2024 is projected to be the warmest year on record, based on six international datasets. Remarkably, the past decade has seen all ten years in the top ten for record-breaking temperatures. In response to the rapidly melting ice caps, the United Nations declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, emphasizing the unprecedented retreat of glaciers and the reshaping of global landscapes.

Politically, the year started with a significant setback when U.S. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, raising concerns about global collaboration on climate issues. February saw continued record temperatures; January 2025 was officially labeled the warmest January according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Many large emitting countries, including Australia, failed to meet the deadline for submitting their updated 2035 NDCs, a critical step in preparation for COP30.

March marked three decades since the initiation of global efforts to address the climate crisis, with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) entering into force on March 21, 1994. By April, China, the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, announced its intention to set NDC targets for 2035 for the first time, potentially paving the way for more robust international commitments.

In May, the WMO warned of a 70% chance that the average temperature increase from 2025-2029 would surpass 1.5°C. That same month, Australia saw a political shift when the Australian Labor Party (ALP) won the federal election with a low primary vote of 34.6%, asserting a majority in the House of Representatives but lacking control in the Senate.

June saw critical insights from the University of New South Wales, which revealed that the Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) sector accounted for a significant reduction in Australian emissions. Without this accounting, emissions have only decreased by 3% since 2005, rather than the reported 27%. The 2024 Indicators of Global Climate Change report emphasized that human activities are amplifying the Earth's energy imbalance, leading to accelerated sea-level rise.

As July approached, World Population Day highlighted a growing concern, with the global population expected to double every 82 years, potentially reaching nine billion by 2037. August brought dire news as the World Weather Attribution claimed that weather conditions contributing to deadly wildfires in Türkiye, Cyprus, and Greece were made ten times more likely due to climate change.

By September, President Xi Jinping announced China’s inaugural NDC, committing to reduce economy-wide net greenhouse gas emissions by 7% to 10% from peak levels by 2035. Australia followed suit, releasing its first National Climate Risk Assessment and setting its second NDC to achieve a reduction of 62% to 70% on 2005 emissions by 2035. Controversially, Australia's Minister for the Environment and Water gave final approval for the extension of gas operations at Woodside Energy's North West Shelf Project until 2070, a decision deemed a “climate, economic, and energy security disaster” by the Australia Institute.

In October, a consortium of 160 researchers from 87 institutions released The Global Tipping Points Report 2025, asserting that the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to “well below 2°C” would not save coral reefs from reaching their thermal tipping points. This sobering report indicated that we may be saying goodbye to the Great Barrier Reef.

November culminated in COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell acknowledged that while the fight against climate change is ongoing, significant progress had yet to be achieved. The World Economic Forum noted that COP30 “fell short of unlocking major progress,” and the BBC described the summit as “deeply divisive,” particularly regarding fossil fuel policies.

December marked the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, with the Climate Action Tracker revealing that as of December 10, 2025, only two of the 59 analyzed countries had submitted NDCs compatible with the goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C. Australia reported a population growth of 420,100 people (1.5%) for the year ending June 30, 2025, reflecting ongoing demographic changes alongside environmental challenges.

As we look back on the year, the climate crisis looms ever larger. While some commitments have been made, the consensus remains that countries must double down on efforts to meet their targets, acknowledging that the current trajectory is insufficient to safeguard our planet’s future.