2025 Ranked Third-Hottest Year on Record as Three-Year Global Average Surpasses 1.5°C, EU Scientists Say

Addis Ababa, January 14, 2026 (FMC) — The year 2025 was the world’s third-warmest on record, and for the first time, the average global temperature over a three-year span exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, European scientists reported on Wednesday, Reuters reported, citing data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).

The ECMWF analysis shows that 2025 was slightly cooler than 2023 by just 0.01°C, making it the third-hottest year ever recorded. The three-year period from 2023 to 2025 now stands as the hottest since global temperature records began. The UK Met Office confirmed its own analysis ranking 2025 as the third-hottest year since 1850, while the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is expected to release its official figures later this year.

Scientists warned that sustained global warmth pushes the planet closer to the 1.5°C threshold outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement, a level at which climate impacts are expected to intensify and some could become irreversible.

Though not a sudden “cliff edge,” experts emphasized that every fraction of a degree matters in shaping extreme weather and climate disruption. ECMWF’s analysis indicates that the three-year average temperature has now exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial norms, signaling a higher likelihood of more frequent and intense heatwaves, storms, droughts, and flooding worldwide.

The consequences of rising temperatures were evident in 2025. Wildfires in Europe produced record carbon emissions, while scientific studies linked specific extreme events — including Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean and monsoon floods in Pakistan, which claimed more than 1,000 lives — to climate change.

Polar regions also faced significant stress, with Arctic and Antarctic sea ice cover reaching historic lows over the year, threatening ecosystems and communities dependent on these fragile environments.

Despite mounting evidence, climate science continues to face political challenges. In a controversial move, U.S. President Donald Trump last week withdrew the United States from several United Nations scientific bodies, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) — a leading source of climate assessment and guidance, the reported added.

Experts reiterated that human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, remain the dominant driver of global warming.

They stressed that urgent action is needed to curb emissions and mitigate future climate risks.