WMO and UN declare climate emergency
Global climate bodies warned today that Earth is more out of balance than at any point in recorded history—2025 averaged 1.43°C above pre‑industrial levels and atmospheric CO₂ hit 423.9 ppm, prompting the UN to call the situation a “planetary emergency.” (theguardian.com) Oceans absorbed 91% of excess heat, marine heatwaves hit roughly 90% of the ocean in 2025, and sea levels are about 11 cm higher since 1993—effects that the WMO says are already driving food, health and migration risks. (news.un.org)
WMO’s State of the Global Climate 2025 formally added Earth’s energy imbalance to its headline indicators for the first time and concluded that the imbalance reached the highest level in the 65‑year observational record. (wmo.int) The agency quantified the scale of the problem by estimating the ocean has absorbed roughly 18 times the world’s annual energy consumption each year over the last two decades, making ocean heat content the clearest measure of accumulated planetary warming. (wmo.int) The report highlights cryosphere losses as accelerating risks: annual Arctic sea‑ice extent was at or near record lows, Antarctic sea‑ice extent was the third lowest on record, and glaciers continued to lose mass, driving long‑term sea‑level and freshwater impacts. (wmo.int) In a video message at the launch, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres urged a faster, just transition to renewables, warned the report “should come with a warning label,” and reiterated the need to scale up life‑saving climate and weather services. (un.org) WMO and UN partners are pushing the Early Warnings for All goal to ensure universal multi‑hazard warning coverage by the end of 2027, a campaign endorsed by WMO members and backed by estimates that each $1 invested in early warning can avoid up to $15 in losses. (wmo.int) The agency cautioned that spiralling ocean warming and extreme weather are already exacting steep economic costs—“impacts millions and costs billions”—while nearly 11% of the world’s population (about 896 million people) live on low‑lying coasts exposed to accelerating sea‑level threats. (wmo.int)
