2025 confirmed as third hottest year on record

Global temperatures continue to rise worryingly. 2025 was the third hottest year ever, making the last 11 years the 11 warmest documented.

According to Europe’s Copernicus climate change service, 2024 was the warmest year on record, being the first time the global temperature temporarily exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Even with the cooling influence of the Pacific La Niña, 2025 was still the hottest La Niña year ever recorded, indicating enduring extreme heat. Notably, January 2025 was the warmest January on record, and the Antarctic saw its highest annual average temperature.

Experts now warn that the world is predicted to permanently breach the crucial 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement before the end of the decade, which is earlier than earlier forecasts.

“These long-term trends aren’t how society experiences climate change,” said Samantha Burgess of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. “It is… through extreme weather events.”

Recent disasters highlight the alarming data. In January, wildfires in Los Angeles resulted in the deaths of approximately 440 people. Meanwhile, floods in Southeast Asia in December claimed more than 1,750 lives. Additionally, the Atlantic Ocean experienced three Category 5 storms, marking only the second time this has occurred in recorded history.

Experts emphasize that while some warming is inevitable due to the carbon dioxide already present in the atmosphere, it is crucial to take urgent action to prevent future disasters.