“Climate finance” likely isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about today's biggest issues. But money destined for climate action has a tremendous impact on all our lives — from curbing rising temperatures to protecting nature to securing human rights. It has the power to reshape the world as we know it.

With a new global climate finance goal cemented last year, 2025 will be a bellwether for the world’s ability to fund climate action at scale. That’s why this year, we aren’t looking at the biggest Stories to Watch for people, nature and climate, like we usually do. Instead, we’re delving deep into just one story — finance — and how it could affect the world's trajectory this year and in those to come.

WRI President & CEO, Ani Dasgupta, explains.

2024 was the first year that the EU derived more electricity from solar power than coal. Many European countries — including Denmark, Greece, Spain and Portugal — are curbing their coal use faster than the rest of the world while also scaling up renewables.

New Year’s resolutions often don’t survive to the end of January, let alone the end of the year. But it’s not just a problem of failed willpower. The latest behavioral science shows why broken resolutions are equally a problem of the broader environment — and how to keep our goals within reach.

Peatlands (a type of wetland) store almost a third of all land-based carbon and sustain livelihoods, water supplies and wildlife worldwide. But many peatlands are sinking, with dangerous results for people and infrastructure. Here’s what to know about this “sleeping disaster” and how countries can combat it.

Resource-strapped nations tend to suffer the worst climate change impacts, even though they’re least responsible for causing the problem. That’s why international climate finance isn’t just about halting emissions — it’s about justice.