Energy imbalance hits record
The United Nations and WMO say Earth’s energy imbalance reached its highest level on record, meaning the planet is absorbing more heat than it emits — and oceans are taking the brunt of it. Scientists warn 2015–2025 is the hottest 11‑year span on record, with multiple climate indicators “flashing red.” (U.N. Climate Report Finds Growing Energy Imbalance on Earth - The New York Times) (Earth being ‘pushed beyond its limits’ as energy imbalance reaches record high | The Guardian)
The WMO’s State of the Global Climate 2025 places the global average surface temperature for 2025 at about 1.43°C above the 1850–1900 baseline, with that figure varying slightly across the eight datasets used. (public.wmo.int)) The report includes “Earth’s energy imbalance” as a tracked metric and documents an accelerated rise in the rate of warming from roughly 2001–2025 compared with earlier decades. (wmo.int)) WMO scientists say roughly 90% of the excess energy added to the climate system is now going into the oceans, a flow that John Kennedy of WMO highlighted at the report launch. (news.un.org)) The agency quantifies that ocean warming has been equivalent to roughly 18 times the world’s annual human energy use per year across the past two decades, and ocean heat content set new records in 2025. (public.wmo.int)) WMO’s Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update gives a 70% probability that the 2025–2029 five‑year mean will exceed 1.5°C above pre‑industrial levels, an 86% chance that at least one year in 2025–2029 will exceed 1.5°C, and an 80% chance that one of those years will be warmer than the current warmest year on record. (wmo.int)) The report links rising ocean heat to real‑world damage, saying extreme events in 2025 affected millions and caused losses running into the billions of dollars, and the UN secretary‑general called the state of the global climate “a state of emergency” at the report launch. (public.wmo.int))
