2025 Annual Impact Report
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2025 Annual Impact Report
Dear friends,
As we reflect on 2025, the challenges we faced are undeniable.
President Trump delivered on his promise to give the fossil fuel industry everything it wanted – undermining solar and wind at every turn while supercharging oil, gas, and coal. He gutted world-class climate science institutions and withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement.
His allies in Congress dismantled the historic investments in clean energy manufacturing and jobs in the Inflation Reduction Act – to the detriment of their own constituents. And the Environmental Protection Agency shamelessly repealed the endangerment finding underpinning decades of federal climate action.
The damage has not been contained to the US. Global leaders – some cowed by US bullying, some aspiring populists themselves – have used the global cost of living crisis as cover to retreat from their climate commitments, willfully ignoring the devastating cost of climate disasters. The fossil fuel industry has seized on fear to rebrand denial as “climate realism” and sell the world a vision of the future where there is no choice but their products.
But this dizzying onslaught, spelled out in fear-inducing headlines, is not the whole story.
Fossil fuel gains in 2025 represent the last-gasp efforts of an industry that knows it’s on an inevitable decline. But no amount of misinformation or campaign cash can change the fact that clean energy is now the cheapest form of new electricity almost everywhere - offering nations real energy security that no single leader or industry can halt.
And markets alone aren’t driving this progress – people are.
Our 2025 Annual Impact Report tells the story of how Climate Reality’s 4.5 million-strong network continues to build the conditions for a clean energy revolution, despite stiff headwinds.
When global ambition faltered, we launched the REALITY Tour to train “super activists” in countries around the globe who could help power progress. When the White House worked hand in hand with the fossil fuel industry, we brought Climate Changemakers into our organization to deepen our commitment to driving solutions in US cities and states.
When the Trump Administration declared war on clean energy, our network stood up — slowing new fossil projects, pushing the World Bank to continue funding clean energy projects, and pressing national governments to honor their Paris commitments.
As we mark Climate Reality’s 20th year in 2026, we are inspired by the many Climate Reality Leaders and advocates who have been raising awareness and fighting for solutions for the past two decades. It’s because of advocates like these, including many of you, that we know we are going to win.
Thank you for not giving up the fight.
Sincerely,
Al Gore
Founder and Chairman
Phyllis Cuttino
President and CEO
Expanding and Equipping a Global Movement
For 20 years, Climate Reality’s ambitious mission to recruit, train, and mobilize advocates to meet the moment on climate has been steadfast. But, as the public’s understanding of the crisis has evolved and political and policy challenges have shifted, so have we, with innovative leadership trainings and campaigns that inspire action.
2025 continued this tradition. Ten years after the historic Paris Agreement and against a backdrop of flagging ambition, we wanted to reach around the world to inspire progress. In response, we launched an innovative, multi-layered training series – the REALITY® Tour – to rekindle the fire that brought us Paris and create a new push for global action on the climate crisis.
From France to Fiji, we saw an overwhelming appetite for climate education and action, with the number of applicants exceeding our venue capacity by two to three times for each major training. We met that demand with a connected, multi-stop training tour that spanned continents and formats, from major in-person trainings at global hubs to an online experience that expanded our reach to new audiences.
Thanks to state-of-the-art technology, audience members could hear Vice President Gore deliver his iconic presentation in 12 different languages. Over 100,000 people from 180 different countries registered for our online experience, with more than 90% from the Global South.
While our trainings tour went global, we also reinforced our US network and advocacy with the strategic integration of the nonprofit organization Climate Changemakers in September.
Climate Changemakers was founded with the purpose of activating the large, untapped population of informed, motivated Americans who care deeply about solving the climate crisis but lack an organized way to channel that concern into political pressure.
With the addition of a model that drives solutions-focused campaigns through dynamic weekly co-working action events and user-friendly resources, our network is adding new advocacy muscle and momentum to state and local policy fights in all 50 states.
REALITY Tour Trainings
Paris, France
March 2025 • Leaders Trained: 780
In 2015, the landmark Paris Agreement galvanized a generation of activists and gave the world hope that we could tackle the climate crisis together.
Ten years later, we returned to the city to launch the REALITY Tour to mobilize a new generation of activists and reaffirm the agreement’s principles and the power of multilateralism. Sessions featured some of the key architects of the Paris Agreement and equipped Climate Reality Leaders to push for ambitious national commitments to turn the promise of Paris into real progress.
Featured Speakers
Mayor of Paris
Founding Partner, Global Optimism
President and CEO, European Climate Foundation
Youth Social and Climate Justice Activist
Impact Highlights:
Spurring EU climate commitments:
Leaders at the training sent hundreds of written letters to members of the European Parliament calling for stronger climate commitments. Then in May 2025, the EU announced that updated climate plans from members put the bloc on track to cut 54% of emissions by 2030 (from 1990 levels).
Adding capacity to local advocacy networks:
Newly trained Leaders quickly joined Climate Reality Europe’s new city-based hub program to drive action in their home cities. Now, hubs across Europe are assessing city climate plans and offering practical policy recommendations for how cities can strengthen their commitments.
Driving the global conversation:
Taking advantage of the timing 10 years after the Paris Agreement, the training garnered extensive media coverage, from the New York Times to EnergyNews and more, with an estimated reach of more than 100 million people.
Outstanding training! ... I'm leaving full of enthusiasm and energy. I've already started reaching out to connections to launch projects in my region. Thank you for such a rich and powerful program!
- Attendee at Paris, translated from the original French.
In-Person Distributed Trainings
March – April 2025 • Leaders Trained: 1000+
As part of the REALITY Tour, Climate Reality branches hosted trainings in Brazil, Canada, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa.
Each training featured a big-picture session with global perspectives broadcast from Paris alongside local issue content and speakers. These distributed trainings helped attendees deepen their understanding of the latest climate science and solutions and build advocacy skills to advance solutions in their countries.
Featured Speakers
Undersecretary for Sustainable Development and Circular Economy at SEMARNAT, Mexico
Permanent Secretary for Climate Change and Environment, Fiji
Mayor of Kamishihoro-town, Hokkaido
Climate Reality Leader and Secretary of Culture for the State of Pará, Brazil
Impact Highlights:
Protecting climate rights in Brazil:
The training in Belém featured a skill-building session on Climate Rights Charters program, which helps highly impacted communities demand their climate rights. A charter created by newly trained Leaders was formally adopted a regional labor court – a significant step toward institutionalizing climate justice.
Expanding an intergenerational climate movement:
Over half of participants were aged 30 and under. Many were entirely new to organized climate action.
Recruiting new voices:
A major focus of distributed trainings was recruiting and training new Leaders from long underrepresented sectors. At the Bacolod City training in the Philippines, for example, 23% of participants were government officials and staff.
Supporting regional action:
Trainings included action opportunities specific to each location. In Cape Town, new Leaders joined a petition urging bold and decisive leadership from the South African government in the wake of the 2024 Climate Change Act.
“This training was not only about learning, but about reclaiming our voices, deepening our understanding, and building solidarity across the region... As I left this space, I am reminded of a renewed sense of purpose, tools, knowledge, and an amazing network of fellow leaders ready to act.”
- Attendee at the distributed training in Nadi , Fiji
Nairobi, Kenya
June 2025 • Leaders Trained: 532
With many African nations blessed with extraordinary clean energy potential and looking to escape the fossil fuel debt trap, we went to Nairobi to train a community of Leaders and help supercharge energy transition.
With 532 new Leaders from 17 countries in the room – including hundreds of young advocates eager to learn about clean energy and green jobs, climate finance, and the power of agroforestry – the atmosphere was electric and the result was one of the most dynamic trainings yet.
Featured Speakers
Kenya's special envoy for Climate Change
Managing director for Africa and Global Partnerships at the World Resources Institute (WRI) and daughter of the late Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai
Founding director of Power Shift Africa
Impact Highlights:
Expanding a diverse and intergenerational movement:
The training had one of our largest youth cohorts yet (72% aged 35 and under) and offered content in Kenyan Sign Language to increase accessibility.
Strengthening advocacy networks:
In post-training surveys, 99% of participants indicated they made new connections with organizations or fellow advocates, creating lasting networks for sustained climate action.
Catalyzing new projects:
After the training, the African Climate Reality Project launched a microgrant program for Leaders in Kenya and South Africa that supported a range of projects leading to 500 Indigenous trees planted and 30 households gaining solar-powered water filtration.
To see so many young changemakers stepping up, ready to lead, ready to shape a more sustainable future, was deeply inspiring. Their voices, their vision, and their unwavering determination remind us that the future of climate leadership is bright.
- Wanjira Mathai.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
August 2025 • Leaders Trained: 647
After three COP summits in major petrostates with no appetite for climate action, COP 30 in Belém, Brazil was a chance to begin a new chapter of global climate action.
Climate Reality seized the moment. The REALITY Tour went to Rio in August to rally Brazilian advocates to push for aggressive action and a renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation at COP 30. From Indigenous rights activists to the COP 30 president, speakers addressed the challenges and opportunities of energy transition and the need for Brazil to lead on climate, both at the upcoming convening and far beyond.
Featured Speakers
COP 30 President, COP 30 Presidency
Federal Deputy, Socialismo e Liberdade Party, Minas Gerais; Co-Founder, National Articulation of Indigenous Women Warriors of Ancestry
Presidential Youth Climate Champion, COP 30 Presidency Executive Director, PerifaLab Institute
Minister, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change
Impact Highlights:
Driving the global conversation:
The training created a crescendo of media attention on multilateralism and the destructive influence of the fossil fuel industry on the COP process. Internal analysis showed 297 media hits reaching more than 146 million people.
Building pressure for climate leadership at COP 30:
The COP presidency’s leadership team attended the training – including COP President André Corrêa do Lago himself, who was pressed by Vice President Gore on the mainstage about a fossil fuel phaseout. Attendees built further demand for action by sending more than 600 postcards to the COP president about the need for strong COP outcomes.
Expanding grassroots capacity within highly impacted communities:
Through strategic partnerships with grassroots organizations, the training reached beyond traditional environmental networks to recruit 283 attendees from frontline and historically marginalized communities – building advocacy capacity where it's needed most.
I'm leaving here with renewed strength... So much stuck in my throat, waiting to be shouted to the world.
– Attendee at Rio, translated from Brazilian Portuguese.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
October 2025 • Leaders Trained: 445
Toxic air pollution and increasing climate threats like the punishing winter storms known as dzuds have left Mongolians with no question about the dangers of coal power.
The REALITY Tour Ulaanbaatar training tackled the issue of coal head-on, exploring the nation’s abundant clean energy potential, the climate financing necessary to harness it, and the uniquely Mongolian approaches to climate action underway from the capital to nomadic communities in the steppes.
Featured Speakers
Chief Sustainability Officer, URECA; Founder, Climate Mongolia
Chief Executive Officer, Solutions for Our Climate
Director of External Relations, Green Climate Fund; Chair, Zorig Foundation
Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mongolia
Impact Highlights:
Inspiring real-time advocacy:
Participants signed a petition to Mongolia's government demanding passage of a Climate Change Law with coal phaseout provisions. As of late April 2026, the law was still before Parliament for a vote.
Strengthening women’s climate leadership:
77% of participants were women, demonstrating their leadership in the climate movement.
Building up the climate movement at a strategic moment:
Less than a year before the 2026 UN Desertification Conference hosted by Mongolia, we trained Leaders with the advocacy skills to shape the conversation.
I'm leaving here with renewed strength... So much stuck in my throat, waiting to be shouted to the world.
– Attendee at Rio, translated from Brazilian Portuguese.
