All articles tagged with #global warming
A Nature Climate Change study finds microplastics and nanoplastics in the air absorb sunlight and radiation, producing a net warming effect that outweighs their cooling. The warming is estimated to be a few percent of CO2’s warming—roughly five times the cooling impact from scattering—though the overall contribution is small compared with fossil fuels and depends on uncertain atmospheric levels of plastic.
Arctic sea ice reached its lowest winter maximum on record, essentially tying last year at about 5.52 million square miles; this diminished winter growth could hasten the summer melt, influencing climate patterns, shipping routes, and wildlife. Meanwhile, March heat records broke across the U.S., Mexico, Australia, Northern Africa, and Northern Europe, with Antarctica logging a record-cold day, underscoring a planet-wide pattern of extreme temperatures tied to warming.
Arctic sea ice reached its winter maximum at about 5.52 million square miles, roughly tying the lowest on record and about 525,000 square miles below the 1981-2010 winter average, signaling a steady decline as warming continues. The smaller ice pack means less sunlight reflected, allowing more heat to enter the oceans and potentially affect the summer melt and weather patterns. Antarctica meanwhile posted its coldest March day on record; melting sea ice does not raise sea levels, but the broader loss signals climate disruption with implications for ecosystems and shipping routes.
The World Meteorological Organization says 2015-2025 were the hottest 11 years on record, with 2025 ranking second or third and 2024 the hottest year at about 1.55C above pre-industrial levels; glacier mass loss was among the worst on record, and UN officials warn the planet is in a climate emergency ahead of COP30.
The World Meteorological Organization warns that Earth's energy imbalance has reached a record high, with about 91% of excess heat absorbed by the oceans, driving unprecedented ocean warming and higher surface temperatures. The period 2015–2025 was the hottest on record, and a shift from La Niña to El Niño could push temperatures even higher, underscoring the urgent need for climate action.
New analysis from the Potsdam Institute finds that after removing natural variability (El Niño, volcanic activity, solar cycles), the rate of global warming has accelerated since around 2015, with recent decades warming ~0.35°C per decade—faster than the ~0.2°C per decade from 1970–2015—across five datasets. If this pace continues, the 1.5°C limit could be exceeded before 2030. The study focuses on the pace, not the causes, and underscores the need for rapid CO2 emission cuts.
A study published in Geophysical Research Letters finds that global warming has accelerated since 2015, with Earth warming about 0.35°C in the last decade—faster than the roughly 0.2°C per decade observed from 1970 to 2015. If this pace continues, the 1.5°C Paris target could be breached before 2030, underscoring the urgency of reducing CO2 emissions.
A new study finds global warming is accelerating, jumping from under 0.2°C per decade (1970–2015) to about 0.35°C per decade in the last decade after filtering out natural factors; if this pace continues, the 1.5°C long‑term limit could be breached before 2030, with the timing varying across datasets. While attribution to forced warming vs natural variability remains debated, the acceleration aligns with climate models and underscores the urgency of reducing CO2 emissions to zero to avoid tipping points.
A new paper in Geophysical Research Letters reports that Earth's warming has accelerated significantly in the last decade (about 0.35°C per decade from 2015–2025, up from ~0.2°C/decade 1970–2015), suggesting the 1.5°C limit could be breached earlier than expected if the trend continues. While multiple datasets show the acceleration, some scientists disagree, noting that recent warming could reflect natural variability or the end of aerosol cooling, and stressing the need for continued monitoring to confirm a lasting shift.
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social claiming a record-cold spell proves global warming is a hoax, a view at odds with scientific consensus that climate change can coincide with heavy snowfall; forecasters warn of sub-zero temperatures and disruptions across parts of the U.S., while experts note that long-term trends and fossil-fuel policies remain central to Trump’s messaging.
2025 is among the hottest years on record, averaging about 1.44C above preindustrial levels, driven by long-term fossil-fuel emissions; a waning El Niño exposed underlying warming, and Copernicus warns the Paris 1.5C limit could be breached before the decade ends, as polar heat intensifies and sea ice declines.
Copernicus data show global temperatures about 1.4C above pre-industrial levels, with 2025 the third-warmest year on record at about 1.47C; 2024 remains the hottest year at around 1.6C, and the three-year stretch has briefly exceeded 1.5C, indicating the world is on pace to breach the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C target this decade due to greenhouse gas emissions and intensified heat in Europe and polar regions.
Global temperatures in 2025 averaged about 1.4C above pre-industrial levels, cooler than 2024 due to La Niña, but the last three years have been the warmest on record. Despite natural cooling, human-caused emissions continue to drive long-term warming, bringing the world closer to the 1.5C target and signaling more heat records and extreme weather unless emissions are sharply reduced and adaptation is intensified.
In 2025, Earth's oceans reached a record-high heat content, absorbing 23 Zetta Joules of energy, which accelerates climate change impacts such as stronger storms, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather events, with uneven warming across regions fueling unpredictable weather patterns.
In 2025, the world's oceans absorbed record amounts of heat, intensifying climate disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and marine heatwaves, and contributing to sea level rise. This ongoing ocean warming, which is likely the hottest in at least 1,000 years, underscores the urgent need to reduce emissions to mitigate future climate impacts.