Last year was the third-hottest on record, according to data collected by six global organizations. 

What's happening?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the European Copernicus Climate Change Service, Berkeley Earth, the Japan Meteorological Agency, and the United Kingdom Meteorological Office all reported 2025's place in the temperature record books.

The first and second spots are occupied by 2024 and 2023, respectively. Both years were affected by El Niño-driven warming. 

While 2025 wasn't record-breaking everywhere, it did bring some of the warmest temperatures ever recorded in certain regions. Berkeley Earth estimated that about 770 million people experienced record-high heat, mostly in Asia. 

Why are rising temperatures concerning?

Outdated energy systems and polluting industrial processes have been major contributors to rising global temperatures. 

According to Yale Climate Connections, researchers found that 2025 had the highest concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide, two potent heat-trapping gases often emitted by the agricultural and fossil fuel industries. Carbon dioxide pollution reached an all-time high last year, too, reaching a record 38.1 billion tons, according to the 2025 Global Carbon Budget report.

"With CO2 emissions still increasing, keeping global warming below 1.5°C is no longer plausible," Pierre Friedlingstein, the report's lead author, told YCC. 

Referencing a key climate threshold, Friedlingstein continued, "The remaining carbon budget for 1.5°C, 170 billion tons of carbon dioxide, will be gone before 2030 at [the] current emission rate."

As governments fall behind on targets to cut heat-trapping pollution, communities across the world are set to suffer the consequences. Rising temperatures exacerbate extreme weather events, including destructive floods and devastating droughts. Infrastructure, food systems, and homes are increasingly unable to bear the impacts of these intensifying disasters.

What's being done about rising temperatures?

Advancing the transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy sources and implementing cleaner, more sustainable agricultural practices can meaningfully mitigate the pollution that drives rising temperatures.

Switching to electric vehicles, for example, and to sources like solar energy at home, in workplaces, and throughout municipalities promises to reduce fossil fuel pollution. Meanwhile, sharing information about plant-based diets — with their potential to decrease demand for the livestock that produces methane at high rates — could help raise awareness about other options for shrinking environmental footprints too.

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