Global Climate Indicators 2025: Annual Scientific Update Ahead of the IPCC AR7
An international team of more than 60 scientists has published the 2025 Indicators of Global Climate Change, providing the latest scientific assessment of the Earth’s climate system between IPCC assessment reports. The report serves as an important reference ahead of the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report (AR7).
The findings confirm that human-induced global warming continues to accelerate. In 2025, human-caused warming reached approximately 1.37°C above the 1850–1900 baseline. Over the 2016–2025 decade, observed warming averaged 1.26°C, of which 1.24°C is attributed to human activities.
Global greenhouse gas emissions remain at historically high levels, averaging 54.6 GtCO₂e per year over the 2015–2024 period. While the authors note signs that the growth rate of CO₂ emissions may be slowing, atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise.
The report also highlights a rapid increase in the Earth’s Energy Imbalance, which has more than doubled since the 1976–1995 period, reflecting the growing accumulation of heat in the climate system. In addition, the number of marine heatwave days has more than tripled since the early 1990s, illustrating the increasing impact of climate change on the world’s oceans.
Beyond updating key climate indicators, the authors emphasize the importance of providing policymakers with timely scientific information between major IPCC assessments. They also stress that maintaining long-term climate observation systems is essential for accurately monitoring future changes.
Why it matters
The report reinforces a key message developed in my book, The Carbon Paradox: Prosperity in a Carbon-Constrained World: climate change must be understood through a long-term, global, and evidence-based perspective. Effective climate policies require not only reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also understanding the complex interactions between energy, economics, technological innovation, and adaptation.
Jerome Parzy 