December 29, 2025
It has been a difficult year for most people, including at NPQ, but as nonprofit workers devoted to community and justice, we continue to look for signs of hope. On the home front, this was the year my son discovered his purpose. From the first day he hurried off the school bus to tell me about an acorn dissection lab, to his late nights missing sleep to observe deer in our yard, it turns out I’m raising a future biologist.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the son of a climate fiction writer, the grandson of a National Park volunteer ranger, and the great-grandson of farmers is drawn to biology, but watching his spark of learning ignite has given me renewed hope. We need scientists. We need people who understand and are tracking the changing climate. We need people who care about the natural world.
We need people who care, period.
As we close out 2025, we at NPQ have been asked to add our picks for the best articles of the second half of the year. I chose hope, as I always try to (though some days it is very difficult indeed), seeking out the changemakers, their promise of making a difference, and positive change in action.
I hope you find the spark of something in these stories, and I hope it inspires you to keep going.
Dr. Alison Stine
Climate Justice
Senior Editor
