Last year was the “third hottest” year on record according to a new report released today (Wednesday, January 14) by the EU’s climate change service, Copernicus.
Latest data also shows that the past 11 years have been the 11 warmest on record.
In the last three years according to Copernicus air temperature over global land areas was also the second warmest.
Global temperatures from the past three years – 2023-2025 – averaged more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level 1850–1900.
Latest analysis also suggests that by the end of last year the globe has warned by about 1.4°C above the pre-industrial level.
Changing climate
According to Copernicus the last three years (2023-2025) were exceptionally warm for two main reasons.
It points to the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, from “continued emissions and reduced uptake of carbon dioxide by natural sinks”.
According to Copernicus the second reason is because sea-surface temperatures reached “exceptionally high levels” across the ocean, associated with an El Niño event and other ocean variability factors.
In 2025, half of the global land area experienced more days than average with at least strong heat stress this is defined as feels-like temperature of 32°C or above.
In recent decades, temperatures over land have risen around twice as fast as those over the ocean.
In areas with dry and often windy conditions, high temperatures last year also contributed to the spread and intensification of exceptional wildfires, which produce carbon, toxic air pollutants “like particulate matter, and ozone, which impacts human health”.
Copernicus also highlighted that the exceptional conditions of 2025 saw a number of “notable extreme events across many regions”.
It detailed that estimates suggest around 40 named storms took place during 2025 including “Storm Eowyn, which hit Ireland”.
Overall it was a year of record heatwaves, severe storms in Europe, Asia and North America, and wildfires in Spain, Canada and Southern California according to the EU’s climate change service.
