The United Nations reported that the amount of heat trapped by the Earth reached a record high in 2025, marking the eleventh consecutive year of unprecedented global temperatures. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the 11 hottest years ever recorded have all occurred between 2015 and 2025, with 2025 ranking among the top three warmest years at about 1.43 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The agency warned that the global climate is now in a state of emergency.

For the first time, the annual climate report assessed the planet’s energy imbalance, showing that far more heat is entering the Earth system than leaving it. This imbalance, driven by record concentrations of greenhouse gases, has intensified sharply over the past two decades and reached a new peak in 2025. Scientists cautioned that the effects of this disruption will last for hundreds to thousands of years.

More than 91 percent of the excess heat is being absorbed by the oceans, which also hit record warmth in 2025. Accelerating ocean warming is contributing to stronger storms, sea ice loss, rising sea levels and damage to marine ecosystems. Global sea levels are now about 11 centimeters higher than in 1993, and both Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets continue to lose mass, underscoring what officials described as a dire and worsening climate outlook.