Hottest decade confirmed
The World Meteorological Organization says 2015–2025 is the warmest decade on record, with 2025 ranking among the top three warmest years and global temperatures roughly 1.43°C above pre‑industrial levels. Scientists warn extreme heat is already hurting agriculture and labor in vulnerable economies — and COP30 backed a $1.3 trillion climate finance push and new implementation roadmaps to accelerate adaptation and investment. (reuters.com, thecooldown.com, esgnews.com)
The WMO’s State of the Global Climate 2025 reports that Earth’s energy imbalance is the largest in a 65‑year instrumental record, a metric that quantifies excess heat trapped in the climate system. (wmo.int) WMO scientists say the ocean has absorbed roughly 18 times the annual energy use of humanity each year over the past two decades, driving record ocean heat content and long‑term thermal inertia. (wwfint.awsassets.panda.org) The WMO report also notes atmospheric greenhouse‑gas concentrations are at levels not seen for at least 800,000 years, underscoring why heat accumulation continues despite year‑to‑year variability. (wwfint.awsassets.panda.org) A joint FAO–WMO assessment warns extreme heat now threatens the livelihoods of about 1.23 billion people dependent on agrifood systems worldwide. (openknowledge.fao.org) That FAO analysis estimates 470 billion work hours were lost globally to extreme heat in 2021, with crop and outdoor labour sectors bearing the bulk of productivity losses. (openknowledge.fao.org) WHO and WMO published joint technical guidance on 22 August 2025 aimed at protecting workers from escalating heat stress, targeting workplace protections and public‑health interventions in vulnerable economies. (who.int) The COP30 presidencies released the Baku‑to‑Belém implementation roadmap and an Executive Report that set timelines for scaling adaptation and implementation actions through 2035 and assigned follow‑up mandates to finance and sectoral working groups. (unfccc.int) Analysts at the World Resources Institute conclude that mobilizing the needed capital will require roughly a seven‑fold increase from current external climate finance levels and will depend on five strategic levers including concessional capital, fiscal space measures, and scaled private‑sector engagement. (wri.org)
