Overview
- Copernicus reports 2025 was only slightly cooler than 2023 and 2024, with a global mean of 14.97°C and an anomaly of about 1.47°C above preindustrial levels.
- For the first time, the 2023–2025 average exceeded 1.5°C above preindustrial levels, a short-term milestone that does not by itself constitute a formal breach of the Paris limit.
- Copernicus says a lasting overshoot of 1.5°C is likely before 2030, with Director Carlo Buontempo urging planning for the consequences of an unavoidable exceedance.
- Polar regions saw exceptional warmth in 2025, with Antarctica recording its highest annual temperature on record and the Arctic its second highest.
- Heat-related risks intensified as roughly half of global land experienced more days with strong heat stress, and Europe’s wildfire emissions reached a peak, even as the EU reports a 37% emissions drop since 1990 alongside recent delays or weakening of some climate laws.