2025, according to the European Climate Service Copernicus, will almost certainly be one of the three hottest years on record.
Experts say global temperatures continue to rise steadily, pushing humanity toward a dangerous 1.5°C rise above pre-industrial levels.
The published analysis found that October 2025 was the third hottest October on record, behind only the extreme October 2023. The average global temperature last month was 15.14°C, 0.7°C above the 1991-2020 average and 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900). This is the first time since April 2025 that the monthly temperature anomaly has again exceeded the 1.5°C threshold.
Scientists warn that current indicators indicate long-term climate change, not short-term fluctuations. Over the 12-month period from November 2024 to October 2025, the Earth's average temperature was 0.62°C above normal and 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
These data allow us to almost confidently predict that 2025 will be the second or third hottest year in history, second only to 2023, which remains the absolute record holder for global warming.
The Copernicus observations coincide with a warning from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) issued last week. It notes that the Earth's average temperature over a long period could exceed the 1.5°C threshold within the next decade. This would pose a major challenge to the goals of the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rise to “well below 2°C”.
If current trends continue, the three-year period from 2023 to 2025 will be the first in history when average temperatures consistently exceed 1.5°C. Scientists emphasize that this does not mean an immediate collapse of climate goals, but indicates that the planet has entered a climate risk zone from which it will be difficult to escape without radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The consequences of rising temperatures are already obvious. In 2025, the world faces heatwaves and extreme weather events, from devastating wildfires in the Mediterranean to record temperatures in Asia and North America. Increased droughts, floods and storms are becoming the new climate norm.
Copernicus experts note that in addition to natural cycles such as El Niño, rising temperatures are influenced by the accumulation of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere caused by human activity. CO₂ concentrations in 2025 reached new record levels of more than 420 ppm (parts per million), the highest level in millions of years.
To keep warming to 1.5°C, global emissions will need to be sharply reduced by 2030, scientists warn. This requires an accelerated transition to renewable energy sources, a shift away from coal and oil, and innovation in industry and transport.
However, the current rate of emissions reduction is still insufficient. If the trend continues, humanity risks crossing the point of no return in the coming years, which will lead to irreversible climate change.
Source: in-cyprus.philenews.com
