Last year, 2025, was marked as one of the hottest on record, largely due to pollution from fossil fuels. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) revealed that global temperatures rose an alarming 1.48°C above preindustrial levels. This trend has continued for three years, raising serious questions about our climate’s future.
Experts warn that we could surpass the Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C before the decade ends. Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus climate service, stated, “We are bound to pass it.” He emphasized that our focus should now shift to managing the consequences of this inevitable change.
The data comes from various sources, including weather monitoring from satellites, ships, and land stations. Interestingly, six different datasets identified 2025 as the third hottest year ever recorded, while others claimed it was the second hottest.
The hottest year officially logged is 2024, a year fraught with wildfires and heatwaves. Researchers note that natural fluctuations and reductions in aerosol pollutants contributed to these extreme temperatures.
Tim Osborn, a climate researcher, explained how a natural pattern called El Niño raised global temperatures by about 0.1°C recently. However, as this pattern weakened by 2025, clearer data emerged—showing the underlying issue of continuous warming.
In January 2025, we experienced the hottest January on record, and other months soon followed suit. The real culprit behind the rising temperatures is a thick layer of carbon pollution enveloping the Earth, exacerbating extreme weather conditions.
Copernicus’s analysis indicated that while tropical temperatures were slightly lower than in 2024, areas near the poles saw record highs. Antarctica recorded its highest temperatures, and Arctic conditions were similarly extreme, with sea ice reaching its lowest levels since satellite monitoring began.
A study from Berkeley Earth highlighted that 8.5% of the global population suffered from record-high annual temperatures last year, a situation expected to persist into 2026. Bill McGuire, a climate hazards expert, described the findings as “grim but not unexpected.” He conceded that the 1.5°C goal now seems unattainable.
Despite advancements in renewable energy, global emissions have still risen in the decade since the Paris Agreement was signed. Laurence Rouil, director of the Copernicus atmospheric monitoring service, stressed that human activity continues to drive these worrying temperature changes. “The atmosphere is sending us a message,” she said. “And we must listen.”
To learn more about the ongoing climate situation, you can visit the World Meteorological Organization for detailed reports and statistics.
