BRUSSELS — European Union scientists announced on January 14, 2026, that 2025 ranked as the third-warmest year globally since records began, capping a historic streak of exceptional heat.
Data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, operated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), showed 2025 was only marginally cooler than 2023 by 0.01°C and trailed 2024, the hottest year ever recorded.
For the first time, the three-year period from 2023 to 2025 averaged over 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, marking the longest such breach on record.
Long-term warming stands at about 1.4°C, but short-term spikes have pushed the planet past the Paris Agreement’s critical threshold temporarily.
Unprecedented Heat Streak and Global Rankings
The last three years—2024 (warmest), 2023 (second), and 2025 (third)—form the hottest trio in instrumental history.
Copernicus data revealed 2025’s global average temperature anomaly reached approximately 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels.
The UK Met Office corroborated the third-place ranking since 1850. Experts noted that while natural variability plays a role year-to-year, the underlying trend is driven by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.
Rising Risks and Urgent Calls for Action
Experts warned that the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C limit—measured as a long-term average—could be exceeded this decade, a decade earlier than anticipated in 2015.
Samantha Burgess of ECMWF emphasized that “every fraction of a degree matters” for intensifying extremes like heatwaves, storms, and floods. Carlo Buontempo, Copernicus director, stated the world is “bound to pass” 1.5°C, shifting focus to managing overshoot impacts.
Extreme events in 2025, including record European wildfire emissions, deadly Pakistan floods killing over 1,000, and Hurricane Melissa, underscored climate change’s role in worsening disasters.
Urgent emission reductions remain essential to limit further escalation.