Global warming continues to accelerate, with sea levels rising at an increasingly rapid pace, according to a group of more than 70 scientists from 17 countries. The new report, published in the magazineEarth System Science Data, updates 12 key climate indicators and reinforces the urgency of deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
The researchers, including authors from the IPCC, highlight that warming reached 1.39°C in 2025 compared to the pre-industrial era, with almost all of the increase attributed to human action. Without a strong reduction in emissions, the 1.5°C limit of the Paris Agreement is expected to be exceeded around 2030.
Observation systems under threat
One of the most serious points of the study is the risk to monitoring systems. Budget cuts and geopolitical decisions weaken satellite networks and ground-based instruments essential for monitoring the weather in real time. Without reliable data, it becomes more difficult to predict extremes and plan adaptations.
Valérie Masson-Delmotte, French paleoclimatologist and former co-chair of an IPCC working group, warned that these systems are threatened precisely when they most need robustness.
Earth’s energy imbalance at record
The planet’s “energy imbalance” — the difference between solar energy received and returned to space — has doubled in recent decades and reached unprecedented levels. This is due to the combination of record emissions from fossil fuels and the reduction of aerosol pollution, which previously had a cooling effect.
Sea levels have risen 23 cm between 1901 and 2025, with the current rate at 3.84 mm per year — double the previous rate. The number of days with marine heat waves has more than tripled since 1991, reaching 65 days in 2025.
Why is rhythm a concern?
Human-caused warming is advancing at 0.27°C per decade, the highest level ever recorded. Peter Thorne, professor at Maynooth University and member of the IPCC, compares the indicators to “vital signs of a patient with worrying symptoms”.
Although there are signs of a slowdown in the growth of CO₂ emissions, scientists estimate that it is not enough to contain warming to the desired limit. Aurélien Ribes of Météo-France summed it up: keeping warming below 1.5°C now seems impossible without more drastic changes.
