Climate scientists have issued a dire warning as a new report has revealed this year is shaping up to be one of the hottest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
In fact, the past 11 years are officially the warmest on record, and the last three? They top them all.
WMO boss Celeste Saulo called it an “unprecedented streak of high temperatures”, according to the ABC.
“It will be virtually impossible to limit global warming to 1.5C in the next few years without temporarily overshooting this target,” she said.
The UN’s Paris Agreement aims to keep global warming under 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels — one of its biggest targets.
“Each year above 1.5C will hammer economies, deepen inequalities and inflict irreversible damage,” said UN Secretary General António Guterres.
The report shows that in 2024, the three main greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide — hit record highs.
BOM climate scientist Blair Trewin, who co-authored the WMO report, said these gases are the main driver of rising temperatures.
“The primary driver of the long-term warming trend is warming induced by greenhouse gases,” Dr Trewin said.
“The expectation is that with the current warming levels being in that 1.3C to 1.4C range, unless something unexpected happens, we would expect the current warming level to reach 1.5C in the next few years.”
From January to August 2025, global temperatures averaged 1.42°C above pre-industrial levels. That puts 2025 on track to be one of the three hottest years ever recorded, according to the report.
“The symptoms are there, it’s getting worse, we’re putting more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, things aren’t starting to get better,” Sarah Kirkpatrick, Professor of Climate Science in the Fenner School of Environment and Society at ANU, said, adding that the data shows global warming is “definitely not a future problem”.
“In fact, some of the things mentioned in this report show that it is looking quite dire.”
Professor Kirkpatrick added that the rising temperature will cause severe weather conditions, including heatwaves.
“Heatwaves are very closely linked to global average temperature, with even slight increases in temperature resulting in an increase in the frequency, duration and severity of heatwaves worldwide,” she said.
“Virtually everywhere in the world has seen an increasing heatwaves over the last 60, 70, 80 years, and we know that with the more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, that’s only going to get even worse.”
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