Despite how challenging 2025 was, the Sierra Club rose to meet the moment. We won some major victories to protect our future — and they are worth celebrating! Our grassroots power continues to prove it is up to any challenge, and we will continue to persevere, no matter the headwinds we face.
This past year tested our country in ways we've never seen before, as Trump and his allies pushed policies that threaten our environment, climate, and communities while enriching the corporate polluters who back them. It was a deeply challenging year, one that demanded courage and clarity.
But that has not stopped us, nor will it ever.
Together, we protected public lands, held polluters accountable, expanded clean energy, defended our communities, and grew our movement into a force powerful enough to meet this moment.
As the oldest grassroots environmental organization in the country, the Sierra Club has spent more than 130 years fighting for clean air, safe water, thriving wildlife, and a livable climate — all of which are only possible due to the support of members and advocates like you.
1. We stopped millions of acres of public land from being sold off in the disastrous budget bill.
Public lands are precious — sacred to many communities, essential for wildlife and recreation, and a shared public good — but they're under attack like never before. In 2025, we helped stop one of the largest attempted public-lands sell-offs in U.S. history. After overwhelming public backlash and pressure from Sierra Club advocates, Congress withdrew a proposal that would have put millions of acres on the auction block.
2. We made polluters pay by passing the game-changing "Climate Change Superfund Act" in New York and introduced legislation in five states.
Coal, oil, and gas companies knew decades ago that fossil fuels would poison our communities and the planet, but they lied to protect their profits and passed the costs onto us. But not anymore — it's time to make polluters pay! New York passed a landmark Climate Change Superfund Act following Vermont's legislation that passed in 2024. More bills have been introduced in California, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Maine. These victories mark a decisive shift toward accountability, justice, and community-driven climate action.
3. We safeguarded endangered species and wildlife like gray wolves, Colorado bison, and Rice's whales.
These are some major wildlife wins! Thanks to legal action by the Sierra Club and partners, Northern Rockies wolves are one step closer to Endangered Species Act protections after a federal judge found the Trump administration's denial unlawful. Colorado passed a groundbreaking bill recognizing bison as wildlife, ensuring herds can finally return to their historic range. In the Gulf, we stopped an offshore oil lease that posed severe risks to the last remaining Rice's whales. Together, we're restoring ecosystems and protecting species on the brink.
4. We secured energy affordability in Utah, Colorado, and California amid skyrocketing utility prices.
With utility bills soaring to higher and higher levels, we secured relief across the West. In Utah, we helped block Rocky Mountain Power's attempt to raise bills by more than 18 percent, protecting families from rising bills tied to fossil-fuel investments. Colorado adopted ambitious clean-heat targets that will cut pollution, deliver billions in climate and health benefits, and lower energy costs. And in California, cities are adopting forward-looking building codes that replace outdated AC units with efficient heat pumps, helping residents save money while cutting climate pollution.
5. We helped ensure that coal stays where it belongs — in the ground — in New England and Ohio.
Since its launch, the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign has successfully prevented one million asthma attacks and saved over 60,000 lives by retiring toxic coal plants. This year, we made even more progress. New England's final coal plant, Merrimack Station, officially shut down — eliminating a massive source of air pollution and opening the door to clean energy. And in Ohio, we helped pass bipartisan legislation to repeal a massive ratepayer-funded coal plant bailout that would have cost residents nearly half a billion dollars. Together, these milestones move us closer to a cleaner, healthier, coal-free future.
6. We fought the illegal firings of park and forest service staff.
We took DOGE to court to halt the unlawful mass firings of park and forest staff — cuts that threatened visitor safety, wildlife, and wildfire prevention. Together with civil rights and science organizations, we organized protests with thousands of advocates and took legal action that halted Trump and DOGE's unlawful mass firings of National Park Service and Forest Service employees. By stepping in quickly, we helped defend the workers who maintain our parks, supported wildfire prevention, and kept our public lands accessible to all.
7. We won bold electoral victories in November's election.
Voters across the country delivered a powerful message: Our communities will fight back against attacks on our democracy and are tired of an economy that only works for corporations and billionaires. Voters showed up to demand fair energy prices, accountability, and a clean energy economy with major electoral victories in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, California, Mississippi, Massachusetts, and more.
8. We grew our movement by the millions with a groundswell of participation in protests across the country.
Amid an increasingly hostile political climate, our movement didn't just grow — it surged. National days of action like the Hands Off and No Kings protests drew massive participation. Attendance in mobilization events jumped from 3 million to 5 million to 7 million people in just six months. With more events in more and more towns, including places long considered "Trump country," these record-breaking numbers show that our resistance is larger, more unified, and more determined than at any time in recent history.
9. We joined a coalition effort to generate 500,000 comments to protect national forests by defending the Roadless Rule
We delivered a powerful message: People across the country overwhelmingly support safeguarding our forests from logging, drilling, and development — with over 40,000 Sierra Club advocates adding their voices to our broader coalition's half a million comments. In the face of a rushed and limited public comment window, we stood up for clean water, wildlife habitat, and wilderness to keep 60 million acres of roadless forestlands intact for generations to come.
10. We won a lawsuit to block Commonwealth LNG, a dirty fracked-methane export terminal that would have emitted pollution equivalent to 16 coal-fired power plants.
A Louisiana court terminated the project's coastal use permit, ruling that state officials violated the Louisiana Constitution by failing to consider the project's disproportionate impact on nearby communities of color and low-income residents, as well as its destruction of wetlands and its contribution to climate pollution. This decision protects our environment, upholds community rights, and halts construction unless a lawful permit is issued.
11. We protected parks in Florida and Los Angeles and passed transit-to-trails legislation in Nevada and Illinois.
Grassroots advocates stopped a plan to sell Florida's 175 state parks to the highest bidder and turn them into private hotels, golf courses, and other forms of development. In Los Angeles County, long-term advocacy expanded local park access and launched new momentum to secure more green space in low-income communities. And Transit to Trails bills in Nevada and Illinois bring the states closer to ensuring everyone can enjoy outdoor activities without needing a car. Across the country, we're winning lasting land protections and increasing outdoor access for all.
12. We protected clean transportation by taking Trump to court.
Our lawsuit helped prompt a restart of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, unlocking $2.7 billion for essential EV charging infrastructure nationwide along highways. Now, every state has submitted NEVI plans under new guidance, and all are moving forward. This was a decisive legal victory for equity, pollution reduction, and climate resilience, restoring essential projects that communities have been waiting for. This program restart is the direct result of the litigation brought by the Sierra Club, our partners, and over a dozen states.
13. We won two lawsuits to create guardrails on data centers.
By securing major victories in Kansas and Michigan, we helped establish key protections to ensure data centers cover their true costs. The two lawsuits create guardrails against the unchecked growth of data centers, prevent shifting their costs onto ratepayers, and prevent higher utility bills for families. These rulings also require meaningful analysis of energy, water, and grid impacts to set a critical precedent for communities facing rapid data-center expansion.
14. We passed bold policies to increase renewable energy in Louisiana.
In a historic win for climate accountability, community members secured a $744 million jury verdict against Chevron, holding the company responsible for decades of pollution and coastal destruction. This victory advances funding for coastal restoration, reinforces our shift toward a cleaner, renewable energy future, and shows that communities can take on the oil and gas industry to demand accountability and win.
15. We helped advance climate-aligned investing in Oregon, New York City, Vermont, and beyond.
Oregon passed a landmark law backing climate-aligned pension management. New York City’s pensions adopted strong climate criteria to hold their asset managers accountable. And Vermont's pension strengthened its shareholder voting policies to push for climate action and curb harmful corporate behavior. States and cities are taking meaningful steps to protect workers' retirement savings and align public investments with a safer, more sustainable future.
16. We ensured increased nature access for veterans and youth by helping pass the EXPLORE Act.
Signed into law with unanimous bipartisan support, the EXPLORE Act expands equitable outdoor access nationwide -- funding new green spaces in underserved communities, strengthening outdoor recreation opportunities for veterans and servicemembers, guaranteeing free park access for every fourth grader and their family, and streamlining access for outdoor educators and nonprofits. This win means more communities can experience the healing power of our shared public lands and waters.
17. We helped Utah become the first state to legalize balcony solar, enabling people living in apartments to access affordable, clean, and healthy energy.
The new law in Utah allows small plug-in solar systems without utility approval, giving renters a simple, low-cost way to reduce reliance on the grid. This breakthrough is already inspiring similar legislation across the country and expanding solar to the people who need it most. In the face of skyrocketing energy costs nationwide, this win positions balcony solar as a growing solution for energy affordability and clean-energy access.
18. Sierra magazine won a 2025 CCNow Journalism Award for the article "The Past, Present, and Contested Future of LNG Terminals Along the Gulf Coast."
Written by Delaney Nolan, the Sierra article exposed how LNG export terminals have devastated communities in Texas and Louisiana -- and highlights the residents fighting back. This recognition from Covering Climate Now underscores the power of truth-telling in the climate movement.
19. We raised awareness to stop the disastrous Line 5 pipeline by setting the new World Record for the largest number of origami fish.
Thousands of people from across all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and more joined to send in more than 86,000 paper fish to break the world record. This origami art symbolizes our collective commitment to protecting the Great Lakes, honoring tribal sovereignty, and shutting down Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, which threatens our shared water, wildlife, and our future. This creative action is helping build the public pressure needed to decommission Line 5 once and for all.
These victories are more than accomplishments -- they're proof that when we organize, we win.
As we look ahead, the challenges facing our climate and communities remain immense. But with your continued advocacy and support, the Sierra Club will keep fighting in courtrooms, statehouses, city councils, and on the streets across the country to protect the planet we all depend on.
This year has proved that our movement is growing stronger every day. Let's carry this momentum into the year ahead.