Human Activity Pushes 2025 to Third-Hottest Year on Record

Last year ranked as the third-hottest ever recorded, according to climate scientists, highlighting the accelerating impact of fossil fuel pollution. Data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service shows global temperatures in 2025 averaged well above pre-industrial levels, following two even hotter years.

The Daily Baku reports that Copernicus scientists estimate global warming reached around 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels in 2025, raising serious concerns about the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit warming to 1.5°C. Experts warn this threshold could be crossed before the end of the decade, much earlier than anticipated in 2015.

Researchers say extreme heat was largely driven by human activity, particularly continued emissions from coal, oil and gas. While natural factors such as El Niño influenced earlier years, their effect weakened in 2025, revealing the underlying warming trend more clearly. Record heat was observed in polar regions, sea ice fell to historic lows, and millions experienced dangerous heat stress. Scientists caution that similar conditions are likely to continue in 2026.