Top 10 Environmental Topics and Issues in 2025 for School Students

In 2025, environmental problems on Earth will be very serious. Things like climate change, losing many types of plants and animals, widespread pollution, and using too many resources are all big threats to our planet and to billions of people. Climate change, which is mostly caused by human activities, releases a huge amount of greenhouse gases and is leading to more frequent and powerful extreme weather.

Rich countries uses too many resources which puts a lot of strain on Earth's limited natural resources. The continuous need for energy, metals, and raw materials, leads to more deforestation, overfishing, and habitat destruction. 

Through this article, students, who will be our future leaders, inventors, scientists, lawmakers, and active citizens, will not only know about these urgent issues but also truly understand why they happen, how they are connected, and what can be done to fix them. This understanding isn't just for school; it's the crucial first step to creating a generation ready and eager to take real, important action.

What are the Major Environmental Problems in 2025?

1. Climate Change and Global Warming

• Climate change remains the most critical environmental threat in 2025. The rising temperatures globally are driven by greenhouse gas emissions which comes from burning fossil fuels, are causing severe weather events, including floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts. 

• Devastating floods which was once considered rare, has now become a commonplace, submerging vast areas and displacing millions. 

• The frequency and intensity of wildfires have escalated dramatically, burning forests, destroying homes, and polluting the air with vast plumes of smoke.

• A critical indicator of this warming trend is the accelerating melt of polar ice caps and glaciers. This rapid deglaciation is directly contributing to a relentless rise in global sea levels, posing external threat to human habitat.

2. Plastic Pollution

Despite global awareness campaigns, plastic pollution continues to choke our oceans, rivers, and landscapes. 

• As per data released by the Earth.org - plastic production globally has seen a dramatic increase from 2 million tons annually in 1950 to 419 million tons by 2015, significantly worsening environmental plastic waste. 

• Each year, approximately 14 million tons of plastic enter our oceans, causing damage to wildlife habitats and their inhabitants. Future estimates indicate that by 2040, without intervention, this figure could escalate to 29 million metric tons annually. Including microplastics, the total amount of plastic in the ocean could reach a staggering 600 million tons by 2040.

• Single-use plastics, microplastics, and improperly managed waste end up in the environment, harming marine life and entering the food chain. As per the data, some 91% of all plastic that has ever been made is not recycled, making it only one of the biggest environmental problems of our lifetime. Considering that plastic takes 400 years to decompose, it will be many generations until it ceases to exist.

• In 2025, plastic waste management remains a major concern, especially in developing countries. 

3. Food Waste

The global issue of food waste and loss represents a significant environmental and ethical challenge.

• Approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption, a staggering 1.3 billion tons, is either wasted or lost annually. This amount of food would be sufficient to feed an estimated 3 billion people, highlighting a stark paradox in a world where food insecurity remains a pressing concern for millions.

• Food waste and loss are also major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating the climate crisis. 

• In fact, if global food waste were a country, it would rank as the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, trailing only behind industrial giants China and the United States. 

4. Biodiversity Loss

Forests play a critical role in absorbing carbon dioxide, preserving biodiversity, and regulating the Earth's climate. However, large-scale deforestation for agriculture, logging, and urban expansion continues in 2025, particularly in tropical regions like the Amazon and Southeast Asia.

• Between 1970 and 2016, the populations of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians saw an average decline of 68%, as per a 2020 WWF report. This loss of biodiversity is primarily attributed to land-use change, specifically the transformed the natural habitats such as forests, grasslands, and mangroves into agricultural areas. 

• We also know that the planet is experiencing a rapidly accelerating sixth mass extinction of wildlife, according to a 2021 analysis. Over the next two decades, more than 500 species of land animals are expected to become extinct. This alarming rate of species loss, scientists emphasize, would have naturally taken thousands of years if not for human-caused destruction of nature. 

5. Air Pollution and Health Hazards

Air pollution remains a severe health crisis, especially in urban areas with high industrial activity and vehicle emissions. 

• Air pollution is a significant global health concern, with estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicating that 4.2 to 7 million deaths occur annually worldwide due to this issue. Moreover, nine out of ten individuals breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. 

• Air pollution in South Asia, identified as one of the most polluted regions globally, reduces life expectancy by approximately five years, according to a 2023 study. The study attributes these elevated pollution levels in certain nations to several factors, including insufficient infrastructure and funding.

6. Ocean Acidification

• Ocean health directly impacts global food security and climate regulation.

• The oceans absorb nearly one-third of global carbon dioxide emissions, leading to ocean acidification — a process that alters the chemistry of seawater, threatening marine life, particularly coral reefs, shellfish, and plankton.

• As per the data, our oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide that is released into the Earth’s atmosphere. 

• Ocean acidification poses a significant environmental threat, primarily through coral bleaching and the subsequent degradation of coral reefs. This process unfolds as escalating ocean temperatures disrupt the vital symbiotic relationship between reefs and the algae they host. 

7. Agriculture

A study shows that the global food system accounts for up to one-third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, with 30% originating from livestock and fisheries.

• Crop production releases greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide through the use of fertilisers. 

• Agriculture not only covers a vast amount of land but it also consumes a vast amount of freshwater, another one of the biggest environmental problems on this list. 

8. Population Displacement 

Climate change and environmental degradation has excessively affected the vulnerable populations, leading to increased migration, displacement, and social inequality. 

• Communities in low-lying regions, small island nations, and disaster-prone areas face the greatest risks.

9. Textile Waste

The fashion industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions, which makes it one of the biggest environmental problems of our time. 

• The world generates an estimated 92 million tonnes of textiles waste every year, a number that is expected to soar up to 134 million tonnes a year by 2030.

• Discarded clothing and textile waste, most of which is non-biodegradable, ends up in landfills, while microplastics from clothing materials such as polyester, nylon, polyamide, acrylic and other synthetic materials is leeched into soil and nearby water sources.

10. Soil Degradation

• According to the United Nations, about 40% of the planet’s soil is degraded. 

• Soil degradation refers to the loss of organic matter, or decline in soil fertility and it is often the result of human activities, like traditional farming practices including the use of toxic chemicals and pollutants.