• Greenhouse gases reached record highs in 2024, with early 2025 data confirming the upward trend.
• Glaciers worldwide lost the equivalent of 450 gigatons of ice, pushing sea levels up by about 1.2 millimetres.
• Ocean heat content hit the highest level ever recorded, contributing to stronger storms and marine heatwaves.
• Global sea levels have doubled their rate of rise since the 1990s, from 2.1 to 4.1 millimetres per year.
• Both Arctic and Antarctic sea ice remain well below average, with the Arctic registering its lowest winter extent on record.

Belem, Brazil – The State of the Climate Update from the World Meteorological Organization says 2025 is on track to rank amongst the three warmest years on record – all three of which are the most recent three years.

Ko Barret, WMO Deputy Secretary-General says this follows 2024, which was the warmest year ever observed. 

“In fact, the past 11 years, if we look back, you can see lots of variability from year to year, but the past 11 years  have each been the warmest 11 years on record, which is actually unprecedented,” said according to WMO Chief of Climate Services, Chris Hewitt. “So we haven’t seen such an extended period where we have such a pronounced warming.”

Global temperatures from January to August 2025 averaged 1.42°C above pre-industrial levels and greenhouse gas concentrations, glacier melt, and ocean heat all continue to rise.

There are however growing signals of a comeback. “Every indicator is showing the urgency of stronger mitigation and adaptation,” Hewitt said. “But there is encouraging progress, particularly the expansion of renewable energy and more effective early warnings.”

More than 70% of countries now include climate services or early warning systems in their national climate pledges (NDCs), and the number of countries implementing multi-hazard early warning systems has doubled since 2015.

Still, Hewitt warned that rising emissions mean it will be “almost impossible” to avoid temporarily surpassing the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement. However, he said it remains possible to reduce temperatures again through rapid emission cuts.

Information from IPCC Data Distribution Center show that the buildup of major greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) in the atmosphere since the start of the industrial era around 1750 is entirely due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes.