“2025 is virtually certain to finish as the second- or third-warmest year on record, possibly tied with 2023, the current second-warmest year, and behind 2024, the warmest year on record,” the Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Tuesday.
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2025 is on track to be the joint-second hottest year on record, marking a continuation of the exceptionally high warming trend the world has witnessed in the past decade, according to the European Union’s Earth observation program.
In its monthly bulletin, issued Tuesday, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said this year is “virtually certain” to finish as either the second- or third-warmest year since records began around 1850.
“The global average temperature anomaly for January to November 2025 stands at 0.60C above the 1991–2020 average, or 1.48C above the 1850–1900 pre-industrial reference. These anomalies are identical to those recorded for the full year 2023, currently the second warmest year,” the bulletin read.
It comes as November closed in as the third-warmest November on record behind 2023 and 2024, with an average surface air temperature 0.65C above the 1991-2020 average for the month, the EU-funded service also said.
Hottest Decade
The increase in extreme heat is a direct result of our warming planet, which is driven by greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. This raises Earth’s surface temperature, leading to longer and hotter heatwaves.
The relentless growth of greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere has coincided with a steady rise in global temperatures, with the last 10 years making up the top 10 hottest years on record.
2024 now tops the ranking, beating 2023. It was also the first year above 1.5C, the critical global warming temperature threshold set in the Paris Agreement.
Deadly Floods
Last month was also marked by a number of extreme weather events, Copernicus said. Two tropical cyclones hit Southeast Asia, unleashing floods and landslides that led to widespread descruction and claimed more than 1,700 lives.
Climate change is intensifying the water cycle, bringing more intense rainfall and associated flooding. The warmer the air, the more water it can hold: for every extra degree Celsius of warming, air can hold 7% more moisture.
Featured image: Kyle Lam/hongkongfp.com
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