GENEVA, Switzerland and SRINAGAR, India, Mar 23 (IPS) – The global climate system continued its dangerous trajectory in 2025, with several indicators hitting records or reaching record extremes, underscoring the accelerating pace of climate change and its broader impacts on ecosystems and human societies, according to the latest report. State of the global climate 2025 Report issued by World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The report presents a sobering assessment. Greenhouse gas concentrations, global temperatures, ocean heat, and sea levels continued to rise, while glaciers and sea ice declined at unprecedented rates. Scientists warn that these changes are not isolated. They are interconnected signs of a rapidly warming planet.
“Earth’s energy imbalance has become increasingly positive,” the report said, referring to the growing difference between incoming solar radiation and outgoing heat. “This leads to accumulation of excess energy within the climate system”.
Ko Barrett, Deputy General SecretaryWMO has been releasing global climate reports for more than 30 years to share the annual evidence base for our key global indicators, the World Meteorological Organization told reporters during the report launch.
“Our report confirms that 2025 was one of the hottest years ever recorded, approximately 1.43°C above the pre-industrial baseline, and was part of an unprecedented streak where the previous eleven years ranked as the hottest on record. Of particular concern is that this warming is reflected not only in temperatures but throughout the climate system. We are seeing glaciers continue to retreat, oceans Warming is at record levels, and sea levels are rising as a result of both thermal expansion and melting ice. At the same time, extreme events such as heat waves, heavy rainfall and tropical cyclones are affecting almost every continent, showing how society is already experiencing the effects of climate change in real time.
He said these findings explain why monitoring the climate system is so important. “The data we collect is not abstract. It helps us improve forecasts, strengthen early warning systems and ultimately protect lives and livelihoods. The science is clear and it is becoming more urgent. Our focus now is to ensure that this information reaches decision makers and communities so that it can inform planning and response in a rapidly changing environment.”
According to reports, concentrations of Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to reach 423.9 parts per million in 2024The highest level in at least two million years. Methane and nitrous oxide also reached record levels, the highest concentrations in 800,000 years.
Scientists attribute this increase to continued fossil fuel use, increased wildfire emissions and weakening of natural carbon sinks. The report highlights that about half of human-emitted carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere, intensifying the greenhouse effect.
“The increase in annual carbon dioxide concentrations in 2024 was the largest since modern measurements began in 1957,” the report says, adding that this continued increase in greenhouse gases remains the primary driver of global warming, accounting for a significant portion of the radiative forcing since the industrial era.
global temperature in 2025 remained exceptionally high. The planet was about 1.43 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels, making it the second or third hottest year on record.
The report said the past eleven years, from 2015 to 2025, have all ranked among the hottest years ever recorded.
However, 2025 was slightly cooler than the record-breaking 2024, mainly due to a change in El Nino to La Nina circumstances, the overall warming trend remains clear.
“Despite La Niña conditions, nearly 90 percent of the ocean surface will experience at least one marine heatwave during 2025,” the report said, adding that such widespread marine heatwaves disrupt ecosystems, harm fisheries and intensify extreme weather events.
Karina von SchuckmannThe lead author said the most important message of this report is that the Earth is no longer in energy balance.
“We are now seeing more energy entering the climate system rather than leaving it, and this excess energy is being rapidly accumulated. What is surprising is where this heat is going. About 91 percent of it is being absorbed by the oceans, while the rest is distributed across land, ice and the atmosphere. This makes the ocean central to understanding climate change, not just as a buffer, but as a major driver of long-term impacts.”
He said that the world is also seeing that this heat is rapidly transferring into the deeper layers of the ocean. According to Shukman, this discovery is important because once the heat moves below the surface, it becomes part of long-term climate change that can persist for hundreds to thousands of years.
“In this sense, what we are seeing today is not just short-term fluctuations. It represents a long-term commitment of the climate system. At the same time, greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise, and indicators such as sea level are showing clear signs of acceleration, reinforcing the scale and persistence of the ongoing changes,” Shukman said.
“The rate of ocean warming over the past two decades is more than double that seen between 1960 and 2005,” the report said.
It says that this rapid warming will have far-reaching consequences. It promotes stronger storms, speeds up ice melting and contributes to sea level rise. It also threatens marine biodiversity and disrupts food chains.
The report said global average sea levels remain close to record highs in 2025, continuing a long-term rising trend. Sea levels have risen by about 11 cm since satellite measurements began in 1993.
The rate of growth has also increased. Between 2012 and 2025, sea levels are projected to rise at approximately double the rate seen between 1993 and 2011. “Sea level rise is expected in all marine areas,” the report said, warning of increased risks to coastal communities.
Rising seas threaten infrastructure, freshwater supplies and livelihoods, especially in low-lying areas and small island states.
The cryosphere, which includes glaciers and polar ice, is shrinking at an alarming rate. The 2024–2025 hydrological year recorded one of the five most negative glacier mass balances since 1950. Notably, eight of the ten worst years for glacier loss have occurred since 2016.
Sea ice trends are equally worrying. Arctic sea ice extent in 2025 was the lowest on record, while Antarctic sea ice reached its third-lowest extent since satellite monitoring began in 1979.
“The maximum daily extent of Arctic sea ice in 2025 was the lowest annual maximum in the observed record. Shrinking ice reduces Earth’s ability to reflect sunlight, further accelerating warming,” the report said.
It has been claimed that the oceans, in addition to increasing temperatures, are becoming more acidic due to the absorption of carbon dioxide. Surface ocean pH has declined steadily over the past four decades.
“The current surface pH values are unprecedented for at least 26,000 years,” the report said, citing high-confidence findings.
According to the report, this chemical shift threatens coral reefs, shellfish and marine ecosystems that support the livelihoods of millions of people around the world.
One of the most important additions to this year’s report is a focus on Earth’s energy imbalance, a measure of how much excess heat the planet is retaining.
The imbalance is set to reach its highest level in 2025 since records began in 1960. Scientists say this metric provides a comprehensive picture of global warming. “The total amount of heat stored on Earth is not only increasing but accelerating. This imbalance is driving changes in the climate system, from rising temperatures to melting ice caps and changes in weather patterns,” the report warns.
The report claims that climate change is already impacting human life and that extreme weather events, including floods, droughts and heatwaves, are becoming more frequent and intense.
According to the report, these changes are linked to food insecurity, displacement and economic loss, especially in vulnerable areas.
“Rapid, large-scale changes in the Earth system have wide-ranging impacts on human and natural systems. Health risks are also increasing. Heatwaves pose serious threats, particularly in urban areas and areas with limited adaptive capacity,” the report said.
John Kennedy, climate scientist The past eleven years have been the warmest on record, glaciers are losing mass rapidly, and sea ice is shrinking in both polar regions, he told reporters at the report launch. They said that, in fact, eight of the ten most negative glacier mass balance years have occurred since 2016, and the past four years have seen the lowest Antarctic sea ice minimums on record.
“We are also seeing the effects of this warming increase in the frequency and scale of extreme events. Heatwaves are becoming so widespread that they are becoming harder to document individually. At the same time, the amount of ocean heat continues to increase dramatically, with energy equivalent to several times total human energy use each year being absorbed by the oceans. When we assess these changes against climate model projections, they remain within the expected range, but the key question now is how these trends will evolve. And whether the rate of warming may accelerate further in the coming years,” Kennedy said.
IPS UN Bureau Report
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