World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports 65-year peak in Earth energy imbalance

Key facts

• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released the State of the Climate 2025 report, revealing that Earth’s energy imbalance has reached its highest level in at least 65 years.
• Approximately 91 per cent of excess energy is absorbed by the oceans, while 5 per cent warms the land, 3 per cent melts ice, and 1 per cent heats the atmosphere.
• Carbon dioxide levels in 2024 reached a 2-million-year high, while methane and nitrous oxide concentrations are at their highest in 800,000 years.
• Global sea levels by the end of 2025 were 11 centimetres higher than in 1993, with the rate of rise increasing from 2.65 mm per year (1993-2011) to 4.75 mm per year (2012-2025).
• The global mean temperature in 2025 was approximately 1.43°C above the pre-industrial baseline of 1850-1900, while 2024 remains the warmest on record at 1.55°C above the baseline.
• Ocean surface pH levels have declined to their lowest in at least 26,000 years, with significant acidification observed in the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and parts of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
• Around 1.2 billion people, representing more than one-third of the global workforce, are exposed to extreme heat annually, particularly in the agriculture and construction sectors.
• The report indicates that rising emissions threaten United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), specifically SDG 2, SDG 3, SDG 11, SDG 14, and SDG 15.