Global temperatures continue to soar, 2023–2025 mark first three-year period above 1.5 °C, report warns

Global temperatures in 2025 averaged 1.47 °C (2.65 °F) above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900), slightly cooler than 2023 by 0.01 °C but 0.13 °C below 2024, the warmest year on record.

The average temperature from 2023 to 2025 exceeded 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, marking the first-ever three-year period to surpass the Paris Agreement’s long-term warming limit. Scientists warn that, at the current rate of warming, the 1.5 °C threshold could be reached by the end of this decade, over a decade earlier than projected when the agreement was signed.

Land air temperatures were the second warmest on record, while the Antarctic recorded its highest annual temperature and the Arctic its second-highest. Sea-surface temperatures also ranked among the highest ever recorded.

“The report confirms that Europe and the world are in the warmest decade on record,” said ECMWF Director-General Florian Pappenberger. “Preparedness and prevention remain possible but only when action is guided by robust scientific evidence.”

The extreme warmth in 2025 was driven primarily by greenhouse gas accumulation, ongoing emissions, and reduced carbon uptake by natural sinks, with high sea-surface temperatures influenced by El Niño and other ocean variability also contributing. While tropical temperatures were slightly lower than 2023–2024, polar regions experienced record warmth.

Europe saw its third-warmest year on record, averaging 10.41 °C — 1.17 °C above the 1991–2020 average. In February, combined polar sea ice cover fell to its lowest extent since satellite records began in the late 1970s.

“Human activity remains the dominant driver of the exceptional temperatures we are observing,” said Laurence Rouil, director of CAMS. “Atmospheric greenhouse gases have steadily increased over the last 10 years. The atmosphere is sending us a message, and we must listen.”

The report also highlighted the impact of extreme heat on human health and the environment: half of the global land area experienced more days than average with strong heat stress (feels-like temperatures of 32 °C or above), contributing to wildfires in Europe, North America, and other regions, degraded air quality, and heightened risks to human health.

This latest analysis underscores the urgent need for climate action, as global warming trends continue to accelerate despite international mitigation efforts.