Global climate increasingly out of balance, WMO report warns
GENEVA — Earth’s climate system is becoming more imbalanced than at any point in recorded history, driven by rising greenhouse gas concentrations that continue to warm the atmosphere and oceans while accelerating ice melt, the World Meteorological Organization said Monday.
The findings were released alongside the State of the Global Climate 2025 report to mark World Meteorological Day, observed this year under the theme “Observing Today, Protecting Tomorrow.” The report examines key climate indicators, including greenhouse gas levels, global temperatures, ocean heat and acidification, sea level rise, Antarctic sea ice extent, and glacier loss.
According to the report, the period from 2015 to 2025 represents the 11 hottest years on record. The year 2025 ranked among the top two or three warmest years ever observed, with global temperatures about 1.43 degrees Celsius above the 1850–1900 baseline.
The WMO said extreme weather events — including intense heat waves, heavy rainfall, and powerful tropical cyclones — caused widespread disruption and damage worldwide, underscoring the growing vulnerability of interconnected economies and societies.
Oceans, which absorb both heat and carbon dioxide, continue to show alarming trends. Over the past two decades, they have absorbed energy equivalent to roughly 18 times the world’s annual human energy consumption each year. In 2025, ocean heat content down to 2,000 meters reached its highest level since records began in 1960, surpassing the previous record set in 2024.
Measurements from monitoring stations also showed that concentrations of the three primary greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide — continued to rise in 2025.
For the first time, the report introduced Earth’s energy imbalance as a key indicator. This metric tracks the difference between the amount of energy entering and leaving the planet’s system. Scientists found that the imbalance has been increasing since records began in 1960, with a sharp acceleration over the past two decades and a new high reached in 2025.
The WMO said the growing imbalance highlights the intensifying impact of human-driven climate change and the urgent need for sustained global monitoring and mitigation efforts. (Source: IANS)
