By Abbas Nazil
The Earth’s climate continued to deteriorate in 2025, with record ocean temperatures, accelerating ice loss, declining cloud cover and worsening extreme weather highlighting the growing impacts of human-caused climate change, according to the latest State of the Climate report.
The report, released by the American Meteorological Society and led by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, found that the world’s oceans recorded their third consecutive year of record-high temperatures in 2025.
It also found that the Greenland Ice Sheet lost about 129 gigatons of ice during the year, an amount equivalent to an ice cube roughly three miles wide on each side.
The findings indicate that continued greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use are driving rising global temperatures and intensifying climate extremes across different regions of the world.
In Europe, average temperatures have increased by about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit since the 1960s, while extreme high temperatures have risen by as much as 18 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scientists warned that the growing intensity and persistence of heatwaves, floods, droughts and wildfires are already imposing serious risks on communities, ecosystems and economies.
The report found that high-humidity heat extremes occurred with near-record frequency and intensity in 2025, creating dangerous conditions for human health.
When temperatures and humidity rise simultaneously, the human body becomes less capable of cooling itself through perspiration, increasing the risk of severe heat-related illness and death without access to shelter or mechanical cooling.
The report also found that global cloudiness in 2025 was the second-lowest recorded since satellite observations began in 1980.
Reduced cloud cover allowed more sunlight to reach the Earth’s surface, potentially contributing to the recent acceleration of warming.
Land surfaces also became darker in many areas because of wildfire damage, heatwaves and declining snow cover, conditions that can cause more solar energy to be absorbed and contribute to localised heating.
The oceans, which absorb about 90 per cent of the excess heat generated by human-caused warming, experienced marine heatwaves across 87 per cent of their surface in 2025.
At the same time, marine cold spells reached their lowest recorded occurrence.
Ocean acidification also continued, posing a growing threat to marine ecosystems and species that depend on stable ocean chemistry.
The report found that ocean oxygen levels have declined by about 0.45 per cent per decade since 1965 because of warming, changes in ocean circulation and ventilation, and increased biological respiration.
The deterioration of the oceans is particularly significant because marine ecosystems play a critical role in supporting biodiversity, food production and the livelihoods of millions of people around the world.
The report further revealed that some northern forests and tundra ecosystems released more carbon dioxide than they absorbed, weakening the ability of these natural systems to remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Scientists said the findings demonstrate that the climate crisis is no longer simply a projection for the future but an increasingly visible reality affecting natural systems and human societies.
Climate scientist Jennifer Francis of the Woodwell Climate Research Center, who was not involved in the report, said the findings underscore the failure to sufficiently slow human-caused warming and its consequences.
She warned that heatwaves, flooding, droughts and wildfires are becoming more frequent or severe, while climate disruptions are increasingly affecting life and communities.
American Meteorological Society President Alan Sealls similarly said climate extremes affecting communities and economies show no clear signs of diminishing.
He urged individuals and communities to strengthen their resilience while encouraging political leaders to protect infrastructure and prepare for the changes already occurring.
The report comes amid growing concern over the economic consequences of climate extremes, including severe heat, drought and wildfires that have affected parts of Europe and North America.
Extreme climate events are increasingly threatening infrastructure, agriculture, public health, ecosystems and economic stability, making adaptation and resilience increasingly important.
Researchers also stressed that continued dependence on fossil fuels remains a major driver of the crisis because burning coal, oil and gas releases the greenhouse gases responsible for much of the observed warming.
Climate researcher Michael Mann of the University of Pennsylvania said the report makes clear that greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for the observed warming and associated impacts.
Other scientists similarly described the findings as evidence of the consequences of continued reliance on carbon-intensive energy systems.
The report therefore adds to mounting scientific evidence that reducing greenhouse gas emissions and rapidly transitioning away from fossil fuels are essential to limiting further climate disruption.
At the same time, governments and communities will need to invest in adaptation measures capable of protecting people and ecosystems from impacts that can no longer be avoided.
The findings highlight the interconnected nature of the climate crisis, with warming oceans, melting ice, declining snow cover, changing clouds, damaged forests and increasingly severe weather reinforcing pressures on the planet’s natural systems.
Scientists warned that the window for limiting the most dangerous consequences of climate change is narrowing, making stronger climate action and greater investment in resilience increasingly urgent.
