As 2026 Continues to Unfold, Let's Review 2025!

In 2025, our planet saw major tipping points, including the predicted die-off of all warm-water coral reefs due to rising temperatures. According to the Stockholm Resilience Center, "Widespread dieback is occurring, and unless global warming is reversed, extensive reefs as we know them will be lost." Closer to home, we're experiencing the rise of flesh eating bacteria due to warmer waters, and aggressive spikes in Lyme disease now that ticks are surviving milder winters.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to dismantle our climate and environmental protections. According to Grist, the Trump administration (second term, 2025–) has targeted over $29 billion in EPA climate and environmental grants for cancellation or freezing, focusing on "Green New Scam" initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act's environmental justice programs. Key cuts include over $2 billion in grant terminations and a $320 million reduction in the annual budget to $8.8 billion.

Where is this money going, if not to preserve our quality of life? The conflict with Iran is costing the U.S. an estimated $1 billion per day, with over $11.3 billion spent within the first six days, primarily on munitions and operational costs. Pentagon officials told Congress that costs exceeded $11.3 billion within the first week, with projections indicating a potential $65 billion price tag if the war lasts two months

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is also under fire, which has devastated the United States' ability to respond to climate events. During the second Trump administration in 2025, FEMA canceled or delayed over $11 billion in disaster recovery payments to states to manage a shortfall in its disaster relief fund. Furthermore, the administration eliminated a $5 billion climate-focused resilience program (BRIC) and, in total, up to $4.5 billion in additional grants were canceled. Millions of humans will suffer because of these losses.

As this unfolded on a national scale, massive banks including Chase, Bank of America, and Citizens continue to invest in Palestinian genocide and private prisons to cage our neighbors abducted by ICE.

XR Boston did not stand quietly and allow this to go unchallenged. We got loud. We disrupted business as usual for banks, for the Massachusetts State Government, for the masses. We carried a Right Whale puppet along Cape Cod beaches to draw attention to ecological collapse. We assessed and re-assessed our priorities as a community. 21 courageous rebels spent the first half of the year in a legal battle for the right to protest against expansions of private jet infrastructure for the ultra-wealthy, and we won.

Through it all, we danced in the rising tide waters, we sang in parades, we made art in basements and displayed it in the streets. We held each other up. We anchored each other down. We persevered and we became stronger together.

In a time when it can be difficult to celebrate, let's celebrate us.

Watch, like, comment, and share our 2025 celebration video on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Bluesky. You'll see more than a few familiar faces!