2025 will be the second hottest year on record, and it may exceed several climate tipping points in the future

This year, many parts of the world have been hit by unprecedented storms, wildfires, and high temperatures, and it is expected to be the second hottest year on record, after 2024.

According to data released by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), as of now, the average temperature in 2025 is 1.48°C higher than the pre-industrial average, second only to 2024, which is 1.6°C higher than the pre-industrial average.

In 2024, El Niño caused the planet to warm, and now, the world is in an alternating La Niña phase, where the upwelling of deep cold water in the tropical Pacific Ocean tends to lower global temperatures. However, in 2025, fossil fuel emissions will reach new highs, meaning temperatures will continue to rise, leading to devastating extreme weather.

"It is these extreme weather events that affect our societies and ecosystems, and as the climate gets warmer, the frequency and severity of extreme weather events will increase." Samantha Burgess of C3S said, "The more moisture is held in the atmosphere, the more violent the storm will be." ”

This summer, climate change caused a heat wave to hit Europe, killing 16,500 people. In October, Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica. It was the strongest hurricane the country has hit, killing more than 80 people and causing an estimated $8.8 billion in damages. World Weather Attribution, an international academic cooperation organization, found that climate change has increased rainfall and wind speed by 16% in Melissa.

In November, a series of cyclones and storms caused landslides and floods in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, killing more than 1,600 people. Currently, the extent of Arctic sea ice is the lowest on record for the same period, and Antarctic sea ice is below normal.

C3S data shows that the average temperature in the past three years may be 1.5°C higher than pre-industrial levels for the first time. Scientists expect that by 2029, the average temperature will exceed the 1.5°C threshold for a long time, breaking the goal of the Paris Agreement.

A report released in October pointed out that the tipping point of irreversible demise of tropical coral reefs has been broken, and the Earth may soon cross the tipping point of Amazon rainforest degradation, the collapse of the Greenland and western Antarctic ice sheets, and the melting of Antarctic sea ice.