The annual report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), published on Monday, confirms that the Earth's climate is more out of balance than at any point in observed history, with the world's oceans breaking heat records for the ninth consecutive year. The report states that every key climate indicator is "flashing red," and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described it as a "call to act."

Key findings include that the 2025 temperature was approximately 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels, slightly below the 2024 record of 1.55°C due to the temporary cooling influence of the La Niña phenomenon. The primary driver of rising temperatures is the surge in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, largely caused by burning oil, coal, and gas.

Climate change is intensifying extreme weather events, which in 2025 led to thousands of deaths and billions in economic losses. For instance, the California wildfires in January 2025 alone caused over $60 billion in damage, making them the costliest such event ever recorded.

The report also emphasizes that changes in ocean temperature are now irreversible on timescales of centuries to millennia. Even significant emissions reductions today would not halt ocean warming this century due to the energy imbalance in the Earth's system. Oceans, as the planet's main heat energy sink, experienced marine heatwaves across 90% of their surface in 2025.

The health toll of climate change is growing, including dengue fever, now the world's fastest-growing mosquito-borne disease. Additionally, over 1.2 billion workers (more than a third of the global workforce) are exposed to dangerous heat annually. Climate change is also driving hunger, migration, and water scarcity, increasing competition over dwindling resources.

Source: www.dw.com