Rabat – A new assessment from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) points to a troubling milestone for the planet.
Heat retained within the Earth system reached an unprecedented level in 2025, with scientists warning that the effects will endure for centuries.
The WMO’s State of the Global Climate report confirms that every year from 2015 to 2025 ranks among the hottest ever measured.
According to experts, this sequence reflects more than a temporary spike. It reveals a sustained shift in the global climate.
Last year alone stood close to the top of the ranking, with temperatures about 1.43°C above the pre-industrial baseline.
The pattern leaves little room for doubt, UN chief António Guterres has warned, describing the situation as a clear signal that the planet has entered a critical phase.
At the core of the findings is the concept of the Earth’s energy imbalance. Under stable conditions, the energy received from the sun matches the heat released back into space.
That balance no longer holds. Greenhouse gases have accumulated at levels unseen in hundreds of thousands of years, trapping additional heat in the atmosphere.
The UN warns that this excess energy does not remain in the air alone. Oceans absorb the vast majority of it, which explains why marine temperatures continue to climb. This rise affects ecosystems, weakens biodiversity, and intensifies storms.
The report also documents visible changes across the cryosphere. Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica continue to lose mass, while Arctic sea ice hovers near historic lows.
Sea levels have meanwhile increased by more than 10 centimeters since the early 1990s, and the trend shows no sign of reversal.
Short-term climate patterns still influence yearly variations. Scientists note that La Niña has played a role in recent conditions. However, a possible shift toward El Niño later in 2026 could push global temperatures higher once again.
Guterres also tied the climate issue to wider global concerns. Reliance on fossil fuels not only fuels environmental damage but also contributes to instability at a broader scale, he warned.
The report presents a consistent message: the climate system has shifted, and without decisive action, the impacts will extend far beyond the present moment.