ASIATODAY.ID, GENEVA – Melting Antarctic ice, overheating oceans, and broken temperature records have pushed the planet into an unprecedented climate emergency.
The United Nations’ weather agency has issued a stark warning: the world has just endured its 11th consecutive year of record-breaking heat.
In a statement released on January 14, 2026, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that 2025 ranked among the three hottest years ever recorded, extending a relentless warming streak that shows no signs of slowing.
After analysing eight international datasets, WMO reported that global average surface temperatures in 2025 were 1.44°C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900). Two datasets ranked 2025 as the second-warmest year in the 176-year temperature record, while the remaining six placed it third.
Record Heat Despite La Niña
The extreme temperatures are particularly alarming given the presence of La Niña, a climate phenomenon typically associated with cooler global conditions.
While 2025 was marginally cooler than the three-year average since 2023, WMO stressed that short-term cooling has failed to reverse the long-term warming trend.
“The year 2025 both began and ended with La Niña, yet it still ranked among the warmest years on record globally due to the accumulation of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
According to the agency, elevated land and sea temperatures last year fuelled extreme weather events worldwide, including prolonged heatwaves, intense rainfall, and deadly tropical cyclones—underscoring the urgent need to strengthen early warning systems.
Oceans Store Dangerous Levels of Heat
WMO also highlighted findings from a separate study showing that ocean temperatures in 2025 were among the highest ever observed, reflecting decades of accumulated heat in the Earth’s climate system.
Regionally, approximately 33 per cent of the global ocean reached one of its three warmest states on record between 1958 and 2025, while 57 per cent ranked within the top five warmest. Affected regions include the tropical and South Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea, the northern Indian Ocean, and the Southern Ocean—revealing near-global ocean warming across major basins.
Climate Alarm Ahead of Key Global Report
WMO said it will release comprehensive data on key climate indicators—including greenhouse gas concentrations, surface temperatures, ocean heat content, and extreme weather trends—in its upcoming State of the Global Climate 2025 report, scheduled for publication in March.
With Antarctic ice melting faster and oceans absorbing unprecedented heat, WMO’s warning is no longer theoretical. It is a global alarm bell, signalling that the climate crisis is unfolding now—and the window for action is rapidly closing. (AT Network)
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