Global Warming Continues to Break Records

The year is likely to be the second or third warmest on record globally, as an "unprecedented run" of high temperatures continues, according to UN scientists. This warning comes as climate negotiations between world leaders begin in Brazil.

Rising Temperatures

Global average surface temperatures from January to August 2025 were 1.42°C above pre-industrial times, before humans began burning fossil fuels on a large scale. This level is approaching the target of the landmark Paris agreement, which aimed to limit global warming to "well below" 2°C and ideally 1.5°C.

Consequences of Climate Change

The consequences of climate change are already being felt, with Britain experiencing its hottest summer on record, two million people in Pakistan being evacuated from deadly floods, and parts of the Amazon rainforest being so dry that once-rare wildfires now spread easily. The coral atoll country of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific is also experiencing "widespread mortality of coral reefs".

Climate Negotiations

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Prince William have reached out to other nations in the Amazon city of Belem, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and officials from Jamaica, which is still reeling from devastating Hurricane Melissa. The leaders are in town for two days before the climate summit, COP30, begins on Monday.

Attendance at COP30

However, only about 60 people will attend the summit, compared to more than twice as many in some previous years. The heads of state and government of the world’s three biggest causes of climate change, China, the USA, and India, are all staying at home.

Calls to Action

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) chief, Celeste Saulo, emphasized that it is "still entirely possible and essential" to lower temperatures back to the 1.5 degree target. The 1.5 degree limit is "not just a number" but a "lifeline for Pacific communities and climate-vulnerable nations" struggling with rising and warming sea levels.

Public Concern

Despite the lack of attendance from some world leaders, the public remains concerned about climate change. A Brazilian mother affected by devastating floods in Rio Grande do Sul last year said: "We see world leaders denying reality and making plans to expand fossil fuels." The British public is also still concerned about climate change and believes in it, with many using green technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps.

Conclusion

The last 11 years have been among the 11 warmest on record, and the last three years have been the three warmest years on record. The WMO’s annual State of the Climate reports found that the consensus on climate change has disappeared, and cross-party agreement on science is fragmented both domestically and globally. However, it is still possible to make a change and lower temperatures back to the 1.5 degree target.