Brussels – A scientific report revealed that 2025 was the third hottest year ever recorded. It warned the pace of global warming might accelerate beyond previous expectations.
The report was issued by the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service on Wednesday. It stated the average global temperature last year reached 14.97 degrees Celsius. This was 0.13 degrees lower than 2024, the hottest year on record. It was also just 0.01 degrees different from 2023.
2025 marks the first time global temperatures consistently exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius. This occurred over three consecutive years (2023-2025). This is above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900). The 1.5-degree threshold is critical, as set by the Paris Climate Agreement. The agreement aims to limit global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. An ambitious goal is to reach 1.5 degrees by the end of this century.
The report indicated that rising temperatures over the last three years have several causes. These include the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Exceptionally high sea surface temperatures are another factor. These are due to the El Niño phenomenon and other oceanic variability factors. All these factors are exacerbated by climate change.
The report estimates the long-term global warming rate. This rate reached approximately 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. It warned that the target limit of 1.5 degrees could be reached before the end of this decade. This is a decade earlier than previously anticipated.
Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, commented on the findings. He stated the world is rapidly approaching the long-term temperature limits. These limits are stipulated in the Paris Agreement. He added that “exceeding this threshold is inevitable.”
Buontempo emphasized that human activity remains the main driver of exceptional temperatures. He noted that “the atmosphere is sending us a message, and we must listen to it.” He affirmed that the main challenge now is how to manage this inevitable exceedance. This includes mitigating its repercussions on communities and ecosystems. The goal is to do this in the best possible way.