Global temperatures are nearing the 1.5°C threshold, with global warming records quickly falling. But solutions are also gaining momentum at unprecedented speed. The task ahead is clear: cut emissions faster, protect and restore nature, scale solutions while the window for action remains open.
The world has already warmed by around 1.4°C above pre-industrial levels, according to new assessments from the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), published today.
This means the planet is no longer approaching dangerous warming. It is already there. The data show a clear and sustained rise in global temperatures, with impacts now visible across the entire world and felt by every community too – land, oceans and polar regions.
Record heat is now the norm
Copernicus reports that 2025 was the third hottest year since 1880 when record keeping began. It was only slightly cooler than 2023 and 2024, which remains the hottest year on record.
More importantly, the past 11 years (2015–2025) were the 11 warmest years since observation started. This confirms a long-term trend – global warming is not a temporary anomaly; it is persistent and accelerating.
Copernicus estimates that long-term global warming has reached about 1.4°C above the 1850–1900 average. At the current pace, the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C threshold could be reached by the end of this decade – over a decade earlier than predicted based on the rate of warming at the time the agreement was signed in December 2015.
Closing in on 1.5°C
The WMO assessment supports these findings, estimating that the global average temperature in 2025 was 1.44°C above pre-industrial levels (within a margin of uncertainty of ±0.13°C).
Even more concerning, the three-year average for 2023–2025 reached 1.48°C above pre-industrial levels. This is the closest the world has ever come to the Paris limit when measured over several years.
Stephanie Roe, WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Lead Scientist said: “We are living through an unprecedented period of sustained global heating — with the last decade the hottest on record and the past three years averaging above 1.5°C for the first time. These temperature records are translating directly into record impacts: the past three years have been the costliest on record for climate-related damages.”
But this is not the whole story. At the same time, solutions are also setting records. Last year saw the largest expansion of solar and wind capacity ever, while the costs of renewable energy, battery storage, and electric vehicles have fallen to historic lows.
“The task ahead is urgent but achievable: accelerate emissions reductions, protect and restore nature, and rapidly scale the solutions that can still steer us toward a future where everyone can still enjoy nature,” she said.
Human influence is clear
Both Copernicus and WMO are clear about the main cause of this warming – it is the continued build-up of greenhouse gases from human activities.
Natural climate patterns like El Niño and La Niña affect year-to-year temperatures but are now acting on top of a much warmer baseline. Even though there was a weak La Niña in 2025, which usually would cool the planet, global temperatures remained among the highest ever recorded.
Ocean bears the brunt
The oceans play a central role in climate change, with around 90% of the excess heat caused by global warming is stored in the ocean.
WMO highlights new research showing that between 2024 and 2025, heat stored in the upper 2,000 metres of the ocean increased by about 23 zettajoules (a unit used to measure heat). This is roughly 200 times the world’s total electricity generation in 2024.
In 2025, about one-third of the global ocean experienced its top three warmest conditions on record. More than half ranked within the top five warmest years. This warming affects sea levels, marine ecosystems, and extreme weather.
Polar ice at record lows
Changes in the polar regions are accelerating. Copernicus reports that February 2025 saw the lowest combined Arctic and Antarctic sea ice extent since satellite records began in the late 1970s.
The Arctic recorded record-low sea ice in several months. Antarctica experienced its warmest annual average temperature on record. These changes have global consequences for weather patterns and sea level rise. Sea-level rise increases costs for coastal protection and infrastructure repair while causing property loss, displacement, and economic disruption, especially in vulnerable regions.
Impacts felt worldwide
The effects of rising temperatures are increasingly visible on land. In 2025, half of the world’s land area experienced more days of dangerous heat stress. Heat stress is defined as a “feels-like” temperature of 32°C or higher.
Copernicus also documented record wildfire emissions in parts of Europe and North America. Severe heatwaves, floods, storms, and droughts affected many regions during the year.
Urgency and opportunity
Roe says these assessments send a clear message: the world has entered a more dangerous period of global warming, and delays in climate action will only increase the risks and costs we face.
“At the same time, solutions are advancing fast. Renewable energy capacity is growing at record speed and becoming cheaper and more accessible.”
At WWF, we’re responding to the climate crisis from every angle. We work with governments to raise ambition on climate policy, support the shift to clean, renewable energy, and partner with cities, businesses, and communities to build a climate-resilient, net-zero future. Our work spans the globe, because the scale of the challenge, and the opportunity for change, demands it.
To protect both people and nature, we aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by sharply reducing energy demand, increasing renewable energy to at least 40% of the global electricity mix, and substantially scaling up nature-based solutions. These actions can strengthen resilience, safeguard ecosystems, and help secure a safer climate for generations to come.
“The choice is no longer whether to act, but how fast we choose to scale what already works,” says Roe.
Información extraída de: https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/climate_and_energy_practice/news/?15571441/world-warms-by-14C-scientists-warn-WWF
