The World Meterological Organization (WMO), a division of the United Nations (UN), found that 2025 was either the second or third hottest year on record (depending on which dataset is used), at about 1.43°C above the pre-industrial average. The last 11 years were the hottest years on record.  

‘The state of the global climate is in a state of emergency. Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red,’ said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The State of the global climate report includes a new measure of energy balance in the Earth system. Whereas in a typical year, energy output would equal energy input, the amount of excess energy the world takes on keeps rising and reached a high in 2025.

‘Human activities are increasingly disrupting the natural equilibrium and we will live with these consequences for hundreds and thousands of years,’ said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

More than 91% of the excess heat is stored in the ocean, which acts as a major buffer against higher temperatures on land. Ocean heat content reached a new record high in 2025 and its rate of warming more than doubled from 1960–2005 to 2005–2025, according to the WMO.

Of the rest, 5% of the heat goes into land masses, 3% into ice – which saw some of the lowest cover ever in the Arctic last year – and 1% into the atmosphere.

The authors pointed out the urgent need to integrate meteorological and climate data with health information systems to allow decision-makers to move from reactive response towards proactive prevention which saves lives. Climate change poses direct risks to populations – in heat stress, for example – to indirect risks, such as the spread of Dengue fever, which is spread by mosquitoes.

Countering the threat of climate change

In the UK, a new National Heat Risk Commission is being created to investigate how to improve efforts across the UK to tackle the wide-ranging impacts of high temperatures. The new Commission, which aims to issue a report in 2027, will be based at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and chaired by Emma Howard Boyd CBE.

She said: ‘Extreme heat is not an equal-opportunity killer. It disproportionately affects the most vulnerable in our society – those in social housing, the elderly, the very young, people with underlying health conditions and pregnant women. This Commission will provide the roadmap to ensure the UK is resilient to high temperatures without compromising our economic or climate goals.’

Supply chain body forms net zero alliance

Organisations from across the UK’s energy, transport and built environment sectors have signed a new climate commitment developed by energy infrastructure and energy systems trade association BEAMA.  

It said: ‘As Scope 3 emissions move to the centre of corporate climate strategies, businesses are facing increasing regulatory scrutiny, rising customer expectations and increasing reporting complexity. The commitment establishes a structured, industry-led mechanism to help organisations move from ambition to coordinated delivery and make measurable progress across their supply chains.’

Signatories commit to reducing Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, setting science-based targets aligned to 1.5°C, embedding sustainability into governance, integrating circular economy principles, engaging responsibly in policy development and collaborating to strengthen value chain alignment.

‘By working across the value chain, we can turn commitments into practical, scalable solutions that support decarbonisation, circularity and long-term industry resilience,’ said Yselkla Farmer, CEO, BEAMA.