The World Meteorological Organization has warned that the Earth’s climate is now more out of balance than at any point in recorded history, driven by rising greenhouse gas emissions, with its latest report highlighting accelerating warming trends and far-reaching global impacts.
In its State of the Global Climate 2025 report released March 23,2026, the agency confirmed that the period between 2015 and 2025 represents the hottest 11 years on record. It noted that 2025 ranked among the top three warmest years, with global temperatures about 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels.
The report paints a stark picture of a rapidly changing climate system, with oceans absorbing unprecedented levels of heat and ice loss contributing to rising sea levels.
According to the findings, the ocean has been absorbing “about eighteen times the annual human energy use each year for the past two decades,” acting as a buffer but also intensifying long-term climate risks.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the situation as critical, warning that “the State of the Global Climate is in a state of emergency. Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red.”
“Humanity has just endured the eleven hottest years on record… it is a call to act,” he added.
The report also highlights a growing imbalance in the Earth’s energy system, driven by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, now at their highest levels in hundreds of thousands of years.
This imbalance, which reached a record high in 2025, reflects the widening gap between incoming solar energy and heat escaping into space.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo warned that the consequences will be long-lasting.
“Human activities are increasingly disrupting the natural equilibrium and we will live with these consequences for hundreds and thousands of years,” she said.
Extreme weather events continue to intensify, with heatwaves, floods, droughts, and storms causing widespread destruction.
“On a day-to-day basis, our weather has become more extreme… causing thousands of deaths, impacting millions of people and causing billions in economic losses,” Saulo added.
The report further shows that more than 90 percent of excess heat is stored in the ocean, driving marine heatwaves, ecosystem degradation, and stronger storms.
Meanwhile, glaciers and polar ice sheets continue to shrink, with Arctic sea ice at near-record lows and Antarctic levels among the lowest ever recorded.
Rising sea levels, now about 11 centimeters higher than in 1993, pose increasing risks to coastal communities through flooding and groundwater salinization.
Beyond environmental impacts, the WMO warned of cascading effects on food security, migration, and health. Climate-driven risks such as dengue and heat stress are increasing, with over one-third of the global workforce exposed to dangerous heat conditions annually.
Guterres issued a stark warning linking climate change to broader global instability: “Climate chaos is accelerating and delay is deadly.”
The WMO emphasized that urgent action, informed by science and strengthened early warning systems, is critical to mitigate risks and protect future generations.