Global climate monitoring agencies from Europe and the United States revealed that 2025 was the third hottest year ever recorded, with the past 11 years all ranking as the hottest years. They noted that the average global temperature over the last three years has already surpassed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and the U.S.-based Berkeley Earth Institute released their annual reports stating that 2025 was the world's third hottest year, following 2024 and 2023 respectively. This makes the past 11 years the warmest period ever recorded globally.
Copernicus reported that the temperature in 2025 was 1.47 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, close to 2023’s levels and just behind 2024, which reached 1.6 degrees Celsius. Around 770 million people worldwide experienced record-breaking heat, with no areas recording their coldest temperatures.
The report highlighted that this is the first time the average global temperature over the last three years has exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a key limit set by the Paris Agreement. Scientists from Berkeley Earth warned that the temperature rise from 2023 to 2025 signals a faster acceleration of global warming than expected. Copernicus estimates that the world may permanently exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold by the end of this decade—ten years earlier than previously predicted.
More than 770 million people worldwide have faced record-breaking heat in their regions, especially in Central Asia, the Sahel region of Africa, and Northern Europe. Additionally, Antarctica experienced its hottest year ever recorded.
While greenhouse gases remain the primary cause, experts pointed to other contributing factors, such as a reduction in sulfur dioxide emissions from shipping, which normally reflect sunlight, causing the Earth to absorb more heat. Efforts to reduce emissions in major powers like the U.S., Germany, and France have slowed, especially amid concerns after Donald Trump announced plans for the U.S. to withdraw again from the United Nations climate agreement.
Looking ahead to 2026, experts predict temperatures will remain high, possibly making it the fourth hottest year on record. However, if an El Niño event occurs, 2026 could potentially break global records to become the hottest year yet again.
. . .AFP