Global temperatures in 2025 did not quite reach the highs of 2024 thanks to the cooling influence of the natural La Niña weather pattern in the Pacific, according to data from the European Copernicus climate service and the Met Office.
However, the last three years were the world's warmest ever recorded, inching the planet closer to breaching international climate targets.
Despite the natural cooling effect of La Niña, 2025 remained significantly warmer than a decade ago, driven by relentless carbon emissions heating the planet. Scientists warn that unless emissions are sharply reduced, further temperature records, as well as increasingly extreme weather events, are inevitable.
Dr. Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus, noted, If we go twenty years into the future and we look back at this period of the mid-2020s, we will see these years as relatively cool. In fact, the global average temperature in 2025 soared more than 1.4°C above the late 1800s pre-industrial levels.
The data is indicative of climate change's persistent grip, with warnings that 1.5°C of warming above pre-industrial levels may be exceeded by the end of the decade. The severity of climatic events, such as the California fires and Hurricane Melissa, underscores the prompt action needed to address climate change.
Looking to the future, while natural variability can lead to year-on-year fluctuations in temperature, climate scientists are calling for immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the changes being wrought by climate change.
