At a Glance
- 2025 was the third-warmest year since records began, Copernicus data shows
- Global temperature averaged 1.47 °C above pre-industrial levels for three straight years
- 23 U.S. billion-dollar disasters killed 276 people and cost $115 billion
- Why it matters: World leaders’ 1.5 °C Paris target is effectively dead as emissions keep rising
Last year ranked as the planet’s third-hottest in modern history, continuing an unbroken 11-year streak of record-breaking warmth, according to fresh figures released by the European Union’s Copernicus climate service.
The data show 2025’s average global temperature sat 1.47 °C (2.65 °F) above the 1850-1900 baseline that scientists use to measure human-driven warming. That marks the third consecutive year the world has neared or crossed the 1.5 °C threshold agreed to in the 2015 Paris accord, effectively dashing hopes of keeping within that limit.
Record Heat Blankets the Globe
Annual surface air temperatures were above average across 91% of the globe, said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead on climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates Copernicus.
“The primary reason for these record temperatures is the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, dominated by the burning of fossil fuels,” Burgess told reporters.
The past 11 years now constitute the 11 warmest since systematic measurements began.
Paris Target ‘Dream’ Declared Dead
World leaders pledged in Paris to cap warming at 1.5 °C, but temperatures have met or breached that level for three straight years.
“Exceeding a three-year average of 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels is a milestone that none of us wished to see,” said Mauro Facchini, head of Earth observation for the European Commission’s Directorate General for Defence Industry and Space. “The urgency of climate action has never been more important.”
U.S. Agencies Set to Release Parallel Data
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are scheduled to publish their own 2025 temperature analyses Wednesday. Each agency uses slightly different methods, so final numbers can vary, but the upward trajectory is consistent across all datasets.
Federal Rollbacks Collide with Rising Emissions
The European figures land amid an aggressive U.S. regulatory rollback. The Trump administration announced last week it will withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and cease funding the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Following a yearlong waiting period, the United States will officially exit the Paris Agreement later this month.
President Donald Trump has labeled climate change a “con job.” His team has moved to:
- Strip the Environmental Protection Agency of authority to regulate greenhouse gases
- Halt or downplay key federal studies, including the National Climate Assessment
- Order coal plants to stay open despite coal being the most carbon-intensive fuel
- Reverse Biden-era incentives for electric vehicles and clean energy
U.S. Emissions Rose 2.4% in 2025
Preliminary estimates from the Rhodium Group show America’s climate pollution climbed roughly 2.4% last year. Researchers attribute the jump to:
- High natural-gas prices that pushed some utilities back toward coal
- Surging electricity demand from energy-intensive data centers
- A cooler winter that increased heating fuel use
The analysts caution most Trump policies are only now taking effect, so their full emissions impact remains to be seen.
Even so, Rhodium still expects future U.S. emissions to decline, mainly because wind, solar and batteries continue to outprice fossil fuels in many markets. The group has, however, lowered its projected rate of reduction since Trump took office.
Extreme Weather Costs Hit $115 Billion
The heat trapped by greenhouse gases is amplifying floods, heat waves and downpours.
Last year delivered 23 weather and climate disasters that each caused at least $1 billion in damage, according to nonprofit research group Climate Central. Combined, those events:
- Killed 276 people
- Inflicted $115 billion in losses
- Rank 2025 as the third-costliest year for U.S. disasters on record
La Niña Offers Brief Respite
Natural swings in the Pacific can nudge global temperatures up or down. A La Niña pattern-cooler-than-normal water in the central Pacific-formed late in 2025 and tends to tamp down worldwide warmth.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts a return to neutral conditions early this year, removing that slight braking effect.
Key Takeaways
- Copernicus confirms 2025 as third-hottest year; 1.47 °C above pre-industrial times
- Three consecutive years at or beyond 1.5 °C effectively ends Paris Agreement’s central goal
- U.S. emissions rose 2.4% amid federal efforts to boost fossil fuels
- Billion-dollar disasters caused record-level damage and hundreds of deaths
- With La Niña fading, 2026 could see even more warming without rapid emissions cuts
