EU scientists say 2025 set to be second or third warmest year, PgII

Key Highlights:

• The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported on December 9, 2025, that this year is likely the second or third warmest on record.
• The average global temperature has exceeded 1.5ºC above the pre-industrial period for the first three-year period.
• Typhoon Kalmaegi caused over 200 deaths in the Philippines, and Spain experienced its worst wildfires in three decades.
• The World Meteorological Organisation stated that the last 10 years have been the warmest since records began.

Detailed Insights:

• The COP30 climate summit saw governments failing to agree on substantial measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• The 1.5 Celsius warming limit, set by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, is increasingly difficult to maintain, according to the UN.
• The UN Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap Report 2025 warns that global temperatures are headed for a 2.3-2.5ºC increase this century, even if national climate plans are fully implemented.
• Global emissions need to drop by half by 2035 to keep the 1.5ºC pathway open, according to the UN Environment Programme.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Gases released into the atmosphere that trap heat and contribute to global warming.
• Paris Climate Agreement: An international agreement to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
• Pre-industrial Period: The period before the widespread use of fossil fuels, typically 1850-1900, used as a baseline for measuring global warming.