[Kasalikasan] 2025, take a bow

As this is my last newsletter for the year, I figured this would be the best time to give a wrap of the stellar work my colleagues did over the last 11 months. The year is not over yet (wait till you see their yearenders!), but 2025 really was everything, and then some.

Here are the highlights of environmental and science news in the Philippines and beyond this 2025.

January: The year opened with a bang after Rappler first reported over the holiday break that the Supreme Court (SC) had affirmed the decision of a regional trial court allowing a commercial fisher to fish within municipal waters, an area usually designated for small fisherfolk. Reporter Iya Gozum had this explainer.

Honorable mentions: Meet artists Aissa Domingo and Cynthia Bauzon-Arre and read about how nature inspires their art in these Rappler profiles.

February: In February, the environment department ordered mining firms to include biodiversity conservation and climate action in their social development management programs.

Honorable mention: Reporter Patrick Cruz reported about the government hinting at eventually scrapping the EDSA bus carousel, only for the transportation department to backtrack and say it’s not going anywhere.

March: In this two-part investigative piece, Iya wrote about the labor conditions at sea for some Filipino migrant fishers working in foreign vessels.

Honorable mentions: Ever wondered how melting glaciers affect the Philippines? And what happens to solar panels when governments stop maintaining them? Watch these videos by community growth and development specialist Laurice Angeles and our Cebu-based reporter John Sitchon.

April: This documentary on coastal greenbelts aired months before the flood control scandal broke, but stories on nature-based solutions will always be timely and relevant.

Honorable mention: 1987 Constitution framer Christian Monsod and Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David joined many communities who have spoken up against the SC’s decision allowing commercial fishers within municipal waters.

May: A long-awaited study commissioned by the government confirmed that Manila Bay reclamation projects harm fishing grounds and marine ecosystems.

Honorable mention: An adjudication board of the environment department issued a cease and desist order against a Negros Occidental sugar firm over the massive molasses spill that contaminated water bodies in April.

June: After the midterm elections, then-environment secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga quit the Marcos Cabinet and was replaced by Raphael Lotilla. Read Iya’s profile on Loyzaga’s methodical working style, her science- and evidence-based leadership, and the kind of department she left behind.

Honorable mention: Rjay Zuriaga Castor wrote about a local environment team in Capiz stumbling on what could be the largest known seagrass bed in the country.

July: This month saw the landmark International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate change that said countries are legally obligated to make climate action plans that reflect their “highest possible ambition.” Here are Rappler’s key takeaways from the advisory opinion.

Honorable mention: Hanna Zapanta looked into how a Chinese fishing vessel damaged at least 464 square meters of living coral reef near Pag-asa Island. Marine biologists estimated it took 40 to 50 years for the reef to be formed. 

August: We don’t talk about post-harvest fish loss enough, and yet its impacts go beyond the communities directly affected by it. Watch this documentary to know more about this global problem.

Honorable mention: After the President’s State of the Nation Address in July, flood control projects became the talk of the town. But what do they actually look like? Researcher-writer Shay Du had this video explainer.

September: Damaged ripraps in Cebu’s Butuanon River have become a cause for concern. John visited these flood control structures to know what local officials are doing before the next heavy rainfall happens.

Honorable mention: Shay recapped Siquijor’s power crisis and its decades-long search for stable power in this video.

October: Cebu was not known to be earthquake-prone until the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit the northern part of the province on September 30. John and fellow reporter Bea Cupin, who both reported from ground zero, looked into the road ahead for Cebu’s recovery.

Honorable mentions: Researcher-writer Reinnard Balonzo, who is based in Albay, reported about resigned Ako Bicol lawmaker Zaldy Co and how his family’s companies secured billions in government contracts from 2021 to 2025 to fix floods they worsened in Albay. Meanwhile, Typhoon Odette survivors are suing Shell in UK courts for compensation for loss and damage caused by climate change.

November: They say youth is wasted on the young, but not for these young climate advocates leading the charge toward a just energy transition in the Philippines.

Honorable mentions: Speaking of energy, the highly anticipated COP30 in Brazil turned out to be a big disappointment on many fronts. Iya and Shay explained what happened in these videos. Before the climate summit, communities in Cebu and Catanduanes reeled from back-to-back storms Tino and Uwan.

That’s a wRap for a very eventful year, to say the least. Thank you for reading our stories and supporting Rappler’s investigations, and we hope you continue to support our environmental and science reporting next year through Rappler+.

Till 2026!

What’s an ECC anyway, and how do you get one?

Corruption a threat to Philippines’ higher climate ambition – groups

Tracing the money, exposing the network: A year of Rappler investigations

The Green Report: The communities behind PH’s just energy transition

Uswag Ilonggo’s Ang profited from contractor boom

#CourageON: How do you define impact in 2026?

– Rappler.com

Kasalikasan is a bimonthly newsletter featuring environmental and science issues, delivered straight to your inbox every other Tuesday. Visit rappler.com/newsletters to subscribe.