Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

2025 was the third warmest year on record globally. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), global average temperatures were 1.47°C (2.65°F) above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900), Azernews reports.

The period from 2023 to 2025 marked the first three-year span in which average global temperatures exceeded the 1.5°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement as a long-term limit to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change.

The Arctic and Antarctica recorded their highest annual temperatures on record, while sea surface temperatures also reached unusually high levels. These oceanic heat extremes contribute to stronger storms and disrupt marine ecosystems worldwide.

The extreme warming observed in 2025 is largely the result of the accumulation of greenhouse gases, ongoing emissions, and long-term climate processes. Although tropical temperatures were slightly lower than in 2023–2024, record-breaking warming occurred in the polar regions, highlighting the phenomenon known as polar amplification, where warming at the poles happens much faster than the global average.

As polar ice melts, darker ocean waters absorb more solar energy instead of reflecting it back into space. This feedback loop accelerates global warming and can influence weather patterns thousands of kilometers away.