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UN building and world flags

World Court says countries are legally obligated to curb emissions and protect climate

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A landmark decision by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands has cleared the way for countries to sue each other over climate change. Campaigners and climate lawyers have called this a “watershed legal moment” and hope the decision will pave the way for compensation from countries that have historically burned the most fossil fuels. The unprecedented case was the brainchild of a group of young law students from low-lying Pacific islands on the frontlines of climate change, who came up with the idea in 2019.

Amur leopard

Amur leopards, once nearly extinct, are making a comeback in Far East Asia

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In the 20th century, poaching for its spotted fur, forest fires and conversion of land for farming caused the wildcat’s population to plummet to roughly 25 individuals in the wild. Today, there are approximately 130 in Russia alone, according to a recent Wildlife Conservation Society report. Efforts to save the species date back decades. Collaboration between conservationists and Russian government agencies helped establish protected areas in the Primorsky Krai region since 1979, which halted the leopard’s rapid decline, according to WWF.

Fishes underwater

Portugal announces a massive new marine protected area

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The new marine protected area covers 38,000 square miles surrounding the Gorringe Ridge, home to 850 marine species. The Gorringe Ridge is the tallest seamount—a large submarine volcanic mountain—in Western Europe, and is known for its biodiversity. Among its most famous inhabitants are “soft corals,” or gorgonians, and deep-sea sponges, which call the 1,100 reefs found throughout the ridge home. Portugal has now raised its percentage of total protected territorial waters from 19% to 27%.

Sun shining with wind turbines rising above clouds

More than 90% of global new renewable energy capacity is now cheaper than fossil fuels

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The global switch to renewable energy has passed a “positive tipping point,” according to two United Nations reports. Solar is now 41% cheaper than fossil fuels worldwide. Not long ago, it was four times the cost. Offshore wind is now also 53% cheaper and the most affordable source of new renewable energy. Even more, costs for renewables are expected to keep dropping as technology matures and supply chains strengthen.

Northern lights over teepees

New partnership funds Indigenous-led protection of Canadian lands twice the size of Florida

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In Canada’s Northwest Territories, a landmark pact is uniting federal, territorial, and 21 Indigenous governments to protect nature on an unprecedented scale. Covering current preserves plus 75,000 square miles of new conserved lands — twice Florida’s size and more than 2% of Canada’s landmass — the agreement will channel over $300 million to Indigenous-led stewardship, conservation, and ecotourism.

Dollar bills and pills, representing medical debt

Arizona erases $429 million in medical debt

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Thousands of Arizonans now have a financial burden lifted off their shoulders, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced on Wednesday. According to the Democratic governor, $429 million in medical debt has been erased for more than 352,000 Arizonans as part of a partnership between her administration and national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt. In 2024, Hobbs announced an initiative to erase $2 billion in medical debt for up to one million Arizonans.

California flag

California becomes world’s largest economy to be powered by two-thirds clean energy

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The state released new data showing California’s continued progress toward a clean energy future with 67% of the state’s retail electricity sales in 2023 coming from renewable and zero-carbon electricity generation — compared to just 61% the previous year and around 41% a decade ago. Then, in 2024, the state added a record-breaking 7,000 MW of clean capacity to the grid, the largest single-year increase in clean energy capacity in state history.

Solar in the foreground, wind turbines in the background

India now gets 50% of its energy from non-fossil sources

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The world’s most populous nation has achieved the milestone of generating a majority of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources — five years ahead of its 2030 target under the Paris Agreement. India’s renewable power output rose at its fastest pace since 2022 in the first half of 2025, while coal-fired generation declined nearly 3%. The country added nearly 28 GW of solar and wind in 2024 and had already added 16 GW of wind and solar capacity by June 2025.

Dolphin

Mexico bans dolphin shows

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In a landmark move for animal welfare, the Mexican Senate has voted unanimously to ban dolphin and other marine mammal shows across the country. The decision, passed 99 to 0, marks the culmination of a years-long campaign led by activists, researchers, and concerned citizens to end the exploitation of marine mammals in entertainment. The updated legislation amends Mexico’s General Wildlife Law to outlaw all “extractive exploitation” of marine mammals.

Solar farm

Solar was E.U.’s biggest source of power for the first time ever in June 2025

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At least 13 E.U. countries saw solar output hit a new monthly high in June, according to an analysis from energy think tank Ember. Solar amounted to more than 40% of generation in the Netherlands and 35% in Greece. Coal generated just 6 percent of electricity, a new monthly low. Fifteen E.U. countries are now coal-free, including Austria, Belgium, and Ireland. Analysts say that the June surge in solar power helped Europe weather a brutal heat wave, which saw temperatures soar upwards of 110 degrees F Analysts say that the June surge in solar power helped Europe weather a brutal heat wave.

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