From Earth.org

Last year tracks 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 December bulletin, 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.

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.

The year 2024 beat 2023. It was also the first year above 1.5C, the critical global warming temperature threshold set in the Paris Agreement.