Near-record hot year described as a warning shot about shifting climate

Scientists reported 2025’s global average temperature at 15.08°C, about 1.44°C above pre-industrial levels, and said the last three years have hovered near the 1.5°C Paris limit.

Last year’s global average temperature was reported at 15.08°C, which scientists say is about 1.44°C warmer than pre-industrial levels. Multiple monitoring groups found that 2023–2025 have been unusually warm and that the most recent years stand close to the internationally agreed 1.5°C limit. Researchers noted that nearly all of the long-term warming is linked to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, and several teams described the recent pattern as a warning shot about a shifting climate. Key findings: - The World Meteorological Organization and other monitoring teams averaged eight datasets and reported a 2025 global mean near 15.08°C, about 1.44°C above pre-industrial conditions. - Copernicus and other groups found that when 2023–2025 are averaged they exceed the 1.5°C threshold that is central to the Paris Agreement. - Scientists reported the last 11 years are the hottest on record and said nearly all long-term warming is from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. - Copernicus and Berkeley Earth projected the long-term global average could breach the 1.5°C threshold around 2029, and several groups expect 2026 to be similar in warmth to 2025. Summary: Scientists say the pattern of recent near-record warmth is a clear sign of accelerating temperature rise and of more frequent extreme heat and weather as reported. Forecasts noted by monitoring groups make a long-term breach of the 1.5°C threshold likely within this decade. Undetermined at this time.