2025 third hottest year as temperatures breach 1.5°C threshold again
What's the story
The year 2025 has been confirmed as the third hottest on record, with average global temperatures exceeding the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for three consecutive years. This period is the longest since records began, according to data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The last three years have been the hottest ever recorded, with 2025 being just slightly cooler than 2023 by a mere 0.01°C.
Climate impact
2025: A year of extreme weather events
The year 2025 witnessed unprecedented heatwaves. Wildfires in Europe emitted the highest levels of carbon dioxide ever recorded, while Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean and monsoon rains in Pakistan were intensified by climate change. These events highlight the far-reaching effects of rising global temperatures on weather patterns around the world.
Threshold breach
Climate scientists warn of potential crossing of 1.5°C threshold
Carlo Buontempo, director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, has warned that we are likely to cross the 1.5°C threshold sooner than expected due to insufficient greenhouse gas emission reductions. The world is currently about 1.4°C warmer than pre-industrial levels on a long-term basis and crossed the short-term 1.5-degree threshold in 2024. Crossing this limit would result in more severe and widespread consequences such as prolonged heatwaves and stronger storms/flooding events across the globe.
Response
Climate change impacts and political pushback
In 2025, Europe witnessed its highest-ever emissions from wildfires. Despite these worsening effects, climate science has faced increased political resistance. US President Donald Trump has previously called climate change "the greatest con job" and withdrawn from several UN bodies. The long-standing consensus among scientists worldwide is that climate change is real, largely human-caused, and worsening due to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion.