‘Flashing red’: UN alarmed as heat trapped by Earth hits record high
Earth's trapped heat reached unprecedented levels in 2025, with the 11 hottest years all occurring in the last decade.
The United Nations' World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued a stark warning in its flagship State of the Global Climate report, confirming that the period from 2015 to 2025 stands as the hottest decade ever recorded. The amount of heat trapped by the Earth reached unprecedented levels in 2025, with the agency noting that the consequences of this warming are feared to persist for thousands of years. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation as a 'state of emergency,' emphasizing that 'Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits' and that 'every key climate indicator is flashing red.'
The report specifies that the 11 hottest years on record all occurred within this recent decade. 2025 itself was ranked as the second or third hottest year, with global temperatures averaging approximately 1.43 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial baseline. Guterres framed the consistent record-breaking heat not as coincidence but as a dire call to action, stating, 'When history repeats itself 11 times, it is no longer a coincidence. It is a call to act.' The findings underscore the accelerating pace of climate change and the urgent need for global mitigation and adaptation strategies to address its long-term impacts.
- The 2015–2025 decade is confirmed as the hottest on record, with all 11 hottest years occurring within it.
- Earth's trapped heat reached a record high in 2025, with temperatures 1.43°C above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared a global climate emergency, stating all key indicators are 'flashing red.'
Why It Matters
Record-breaking, persistent heat signals accelerating climate change with impacts on weather, ecosystems, and human societies for millennia.