LOC18:25
15:25 GMT
GENEVA, Jan 14 (KUNA) -- The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that 2025 was one of the three warmest years on record, continuing the streak of extraordinary global temperatures.
In a statement issued in Geneva, WMO said that the past 11 years have been the 11 warmest on record, and ocean heating continues unabated.
The global average surface temperature was 1.44 C above the 1850-1900 average according to WMO's consolidated analysis of eight datasets.
WMO confirmed that the past three years, 2023-2025, are the three warmest years; the consolidated three-year average 2023-2025 temperature is 1.48آ°C above the pre-industrial era.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said, "The year 2025 started and ended with a cooling La Nina, and yet it was still one of the warmest years on record globally because of the accumulation of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in our atmosphere."
She explained that high land and ocean temperatures helped fuel extreme weather heatwaves, heavy rainfall and intense tropical cyclones, underlining the vital need for early warning systems.
According to the statement, a separate study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences said that ocean temperatures were also among the highest on record in 2025, reflecting the long-term accumulation of heat within the climate system.
About 90 pct of excess heat from global warming is stored in the ocean, making ocean heat a critical indicator of climate change. From 2024-2025, the global upper 2000 m ocean heat content (OHC) is around 200 times the world's total electricity generation in 2024.
WMO confirmed that its statement issued today coincided with the release of data by several international institutions, including NASA, the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts and Japan Meteorological Agency to consolidate and analyze global climate data to support decision-makers and strengthen international efforts to address the impacts of climate change at all levels. (end)
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