As 2025 draws to a close, environmental advocates across the U.S. find themselves weighing a year marked by both setbacks and successes. Despite major environmental reversals taken by the Donald Trump administration, including loosening fossil fuel rules and weakening endangered-species safeguards, conservationists, lawmakers, and researchers still notched key wins at local and state levels. Here are some environmental triumphs across the country amid a year of political turbulence. 1. California launches methane-tracking satellite California turned to space technology this year to curb methane pollution, launching a new program that uses satellite-mounted sensors to spot major leaks in near real time. The $100 million effort, funded through the state’s cap-and-trade program, sends data to the California Air Resources Board as the satellite passes over the state roughly five times a week. One satellite is already in orbit, with seven more expected to launch in the coming years. By November, the system had helped identify and stop 10 large leaks of the colorless and odorless gas since May — the climate equivalent of taking about 18,000 cars off the road for a year. 2. Hawai‘i researchers identify microplastic-eating fungi Scientists at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa have discovered that many fungi living around the islands can naturally degrade plastic, with some even being trained to consume the microparticles faster. In February, after testing various marine fungi species, researchers announced that over 60 percent could break down polyurethane, a common plastic found in consumer and commercial products. By repeatedly exposing the fastest-growing fungi to plastic, researchers also boosted their degradation rates by up to 15 percent in just three months. Read Next Plastic pollution is toxic and everywhere. Now, legal experts say it’s a human rights violation. Joseph Winters With the equivalent of roughly 625,000 garbage trucks’ worth of plastic entering the ocean annually, researchers are now determining whether the plastic-eating species or other fungi can break down more stubborn, less degradable plastics such as polyethylene. 3. Scientists discover culprits of honeybee decline Scientists have identified key viral drivers behind the massive honeybee die-off that has devastated U.S. beekeepers since early 2025. In a new Department of Agriculture study awaiting peer review and conducted amid Trump-era funding cuts, researchers found that nearly all sampled colonies carried bee viruses spread by Varroa mites — parasites now resistant to amitraz, the primary chemical used to control them. These mites rapidly transmit infections, which can also spill over into wild pollinators. However, researchers have also cautioned that resistant mites are only part of the problem, with the climate crisis, pesticide exposure, and shrinking forage also contributing to record-breaking colony losses. 4. Hypoxia levels in Long Island Sound reach lowest levels in 40 years Levels of hypoxia, or low oxygen in bottom waters as a result of an overgrowth — and decomposition — of algae, have reached their lowest in 40 years, marking a major recovery milestone for the East Coast’s second-largest estuary. New state data shows the sound’s “dead zones,” which are depleted of oxygen and uninhabitable for marine life, shrank to 18.3 square miles and lasted only 40 days — among the shortest and smallest events since monitoring began in the late 1980s. The numbers reflect a significant decline from 43 square miles in 2024 and 127 square miles in 2023. Scientists credit decades of local and state-led efforts to cut nitrogen pollution, as well as this year’s dry summer conditions that helped reduce algae growth across the sound. 5. San Diego researchers develop new gel to restore coral reefs Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a groundbreaking gel, Snap-X, that could transform coral reef restoration. With coral larvae being particularly selective about where they settle, researchers announced in May the creation of a material that releases chemical cues to indicate suitable habitats. Read Next The business case for saving coral reefs Saqib Rahim Snap-X, composed of nanoparticles suspended in a UV-curable gel, gradually releases coral-attracting chemicals over the course of a month. In laboratory tests on the Hawaiian stony coral species Montipora capitata, surfaces treated with Snap-X promoted coral resettlement at six times the rate of untreated surfaces. Furthermore, in experiments simulating reef environments with flowing water, Snap-X boosted coral larval settlement by 20 times, according to researchers. The research breakthrough comes as more than 80 percent of the world’s reefs were hit earlier this year by the worst global bleaching event on record. 6. New Mexico invests $50 million into wildlife crossings In April, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham committed $50 million to expand wildlife crossings as part of a statewide effort to reduce dangerous wildlife collisions. The funding, included in the state’s House Bill 5, marks the largest single-year state appropriation for wildlife crossings in the U.S. It supports projects identified in the New Mexico Wildlife Corridors Action Plan, including the high-priority US 550 corridor north of Cuba, commonly known as the Valley of Death due to severe elk and deer collisions. With roughly 1,200 wildlife crashes in the state each year, officials and conservationists have welcomed the investment, saying it will help reduce collisions while also protecting the natural behaviors of elk, mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, black bears, and cougars. 7. Researchers reduce sea turtle bycatch through solar-powered fishing nets Researchers from Arizona State University, NOAA Fisheries, and the World Wildlife Fund have developed solar-powered, flashing LED lights for gillnets — walls of netting designed to entangle fish — to reduce sea turtle bycatch. Developed in collaboration with local fishers along Mexico’s Gulf of California, the lights also serve as buoys. Built with polycarbonate housings, flexible solar cells, lithium polymer batteries, and green LEDs, the lights are capable of running for up to five nights without direct sunlight. As a result, researchers found that solar-powered nets reduced sea turtle bycatch by 63 percent compared with conventional nets. Researchers also found that the lights did not reduce the catch rates of targeted species such as yellowtail tuna.The development comes as bycatch comprises 40 percent of the total global seafood catch, or 63 billion pounds per year, with most of the waste involving endangered marine animals including sea turtles, sharks, and dolphins. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Despite Trump-era reversals, 2025 still saw environmental wins. Here are 7 worth noting. on Jan 4, 2026.

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