Global Heat Records Continue as 2025 Marks Third Hottest Year on Record
Unprecedented Heat Continues to Break Records
The planet logged its third hottest year on record in 2025, extending a run of unprecedented heat, with no relief expected in 2026, according to reports from both EU climate monitors and US researchers. The last 11 years have now been the warmest ever recorded, with 2024 topping the podium and 2023 in second place, confirming that global heat levels continue to escalate at an alarming rate.
The average global surface air temperature last year was 1.47C above the pre-industrial level, demonstrating the continuing impact of greenhouse gas emissions on our planet’s climate system. This development is particularly concerning as for the first time, global temperatures exceeded 1.5C relative to pre-industrial times on average over the last three years, a critical threshold identified in the Paris Climate Agreement.
Ocean Heat Content Reaches New Heights
The warming extends far beyond surface temperatures. Global ocean heat content (OHC) increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2025, according to research published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. The study reveals that the oceans absorbed energy equivalent to detonating nearly 10 Hiroshima atomic bombs in the oceans every second of every minute in 2025.
Warming waters are linked to increasingly extreme weather patterns, coral reef die-offs and sea level rise. The consequences are already visible: More than 400 people died in wildfires in Los Angeles in January, and the area saw $40 billion in insured losses alone, with climate change making such fire weather significantly more likely.
What the Future Holds
Climate experts warn that the heat trend shows no signs of abating. If the warming El Nino weather phenomenon appears this year, “this could make 2026 another record-breaking year”, according to Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Berkeley Earth expects a 2026 global average temperature similar to last year’s, ranking perhaps 4th on record.
The implications for global communities are profound. Climate change acts as a threat multiplier, because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. This increases the probability of more precipitation and extreme weather events. For readers worldwide, these findings underscore the urgent need for accelerated climate action and adaptation strategies to protect communities from increasingly severe weather events and rising temperatures.