WMO: Earth's Climate 'Flashing Red'
The World Meteorological Organization issued a 2026 “climate alert,” saying Earth’s climate is “flashing red” due to record energy imbalances and rising greenhouse gases. Scientists point to new highs in the planet’s energy imbalance and an unprecedented run of extreme temperatures from 2015–2025, calling the next few years the “decisive decade” for policy, markets and infrastructure risk. (edunovations.com) (insideclimatenews.org)
WMO released its State of the Global Climate 2025 on 23 March 2026 and for the first time made Earth’s energy imbalance a core climate indicator. (wmo.int)) The report records 2025 at about 1.43°C above the 1850–1900 baseline and confirms 2015–2025 as the hottest 11‑year span on record. (wmo.int)) WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin shows global mean CO2 at 423.9±0.2 ppm in 2024, methane at 1,942±2 ppb and nitrous oxide at 338.0±0.1 ppb. (wmo.int)) A peer‑reviewed analysis led by Thorsten Mauritsen found Earth’s energy imbalance has more than doubled in recent decades and reached roughly 1.8 W/m² at its recent peak. (agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com)) The WMO report says the ocean has absorbed the equivalent of about eighteen times annual human energy use each year for the past two decades and that oceans take up over 90% of excess heat. (wmo.int)) WMO links the energy accumulation and record heat to cascading impacts that “caused disruption and devastation,” noting extreme weather events affected millions and “costs billions.” (wmo.int)) UN Secretary‑General António Guterres delivered a video message at the report launch on 23 March 2026 calling the findings a “state of emergency” and urging accelerated action. (un.org))
