What 2025 really taught us about climate action

By Marion Verles, CEO at SustainCERT.

2025 reminded us that progress doesn’t always look like progress. Amid policy uncertainty and economic pressure, it often felt like a year defined by headwinds. Yet, by year’s end, something became clear: the foundations of the climate transition didn't weaken, they strengthened. What initially appeared fragile ultimately delivered some important, and unexpected wins.

Those wins point to a larger truth: climate action is becoming remarkably resilient.

Even as policies shifted and markets wobbled, progress in the real economy continued — and in some cases, accelerated — because the business case for decarbonization has never been clearer. A new global analysis found that 92% of the world’s economy is now growing without increasing carbon emissions, signaling that economic prosperity and decarbonization are no longer fundamentally at odds. This decoupling reinforces why companies are pressing ahead despite political uncertainty.

Scope 3 action — often the most complex and challenging part of a company’s climate journey —was another area where momentum quietly accelerated. In 2025, leading companies moved beyond ambition and into practical collaborations across value chains. The partnership between Ahold Delhaize and Danone, focused on regenerative agriculture and aligned supplier engagement, is a powerful example of large players pooling resources to drive meaningful, systematic change. Meanwhile, Barry Callebaut issued the 1 millionth Impact Units, demonstrating that structured, quantifiable Scope 3 interventions can scale when suppliers and buyers move in the same direction.

Carbon markets also began to show signs of growing maturity and confidence. According to Sylvera’s mid-2025 market data, 57% of carbon credits retired in the first half of 2025 were rated BB or higher, up from 52% in 2024, signalling a clear shift toward higher-quality, higher-integrity credits. At the same time, innovative financing instruments gained traction. The World Bank’s USD 200 million Clean Cooking Outcome Bond, which ties investor returns to verified climate outcomes in Ghana, showed how capital can flow reliably into projects that deliver measurable, certified impact.

On the standards front, the scaffolding for credible climate action strengthened further. SBTi’s Corporate Net-Zero Standard v2 introduced much-needed flexibility for companies designing feasible, science-aligned pathways. The EU’s Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) also made meaningful progress, establishing the world’s first regulatory architecture to define and validate high-quality removals in Europe. While significant work remains for CRCF to become fully operational in 2026 and beyond, its creation marks an important step toward a transparent, trustworthy removals market.

COP30 delivered more than many expected. Despite modest assumptions going in, the summit reinforced the implementation that is happening across the economy and produced a landmark outcome on the just transition. Governments agreed on clearer frameworks to support workers and communities in carbon-intensive regions, a sign that the social dimension of climate action is finally being integrated into global decision-making. Beyond the negotiations, the atmosphere was unexpectedly constructive: new coalitions formed around value chain decarbonization, companies showcased tangible progress rather than distant promises, and the conversation shifted decisively from the if to how fast. For once, the optimism felt grounded.

Across the board, 2025 showed that credible climate action is unlocking real business value — fully aligned with SustainCERT’s mission to ensure climate claims are real, rigorous and verifiable.

As we close this year, one message stands out: climate action has entered its resilience era. It may wobble politically, but its economic and social momentum is now too strong to reverse. At SustainCERT, we remain focused on ensuring that as this momentum builds, the integrity behind every climate claim keeps pace — powered by technology that brings greater accuracy, transparency and scale to climate verification.

If 2025 was about resilience, 2026 will be about accelerating impact.