EU Climate Change Service: 2025, the third warmest year ever recorded

2026-01-14 07:50:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The year 2025 was the third warmest year ever recorded globally, according to data published by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which operates the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).

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

The average temperature from 2023 to 2025 exceeded 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, marking the first three-year period to exceed the long-term warming limit of the Paris Agreement.

Based on the current rate of warming, the agreement's 1.5°C threshold could be reached by the end of the decade, more than a decade earlier than projected when the agreement was signed.

Air temperatures over land were the second warmest ever recorded, with Antarctica recording its highest annual temperature and the Arctic its second highest. Sea surface temperatures were also among the highest on record.

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

The extreme heat in 2025 was largely driven by the accumulation of greenhouse gases, continued emissions, and reduced carbon uptake from natural reservoirs. High sea surface temperatures, influenced by El Nino and other ocean variability, also contributed. While tropical temperatures were slightly cooler than in 2023-2024, the polar regions experienced record warmth.

Europe saw its third warmest year on record, with an average temperature of 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 extraordinary temperatures we are observing. Atmospheric greenhouse gases have been increasing steadily over the past 10 years. The atmosphere is sending us a message and we need to listen ," said Laurence Rouil, director of CAMS.

Half of the global land surface experienced more than average hot days, contributing to extreme wildfires in Europe, North America and other regions. The resulting emissions degraded air quality and posed risks to human health. / CNA