UN Declares Climate Emergency as Earth Approaches Critical Warming Threshold
The United Nations has issued a stark warning, declaring that Earth's climate is in a "state of emergency" and is more out of balance than at any point in observed history. According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the UN's weather agency, rapid and large-scale changes to the global climate in recent decades are set to trigger harmful repercussions that could last for centuries.
Key Climate Indicators Flashing Red
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, "Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red." The WMO's annual "state of the global climate" report, released on Monday, confirms that the period from 2015 to 2025 represents the hottest 11 years on record, with last year ranking as the second or third hottest ever documented.
Alarmingly, the report reveals that Earth is dangerously close to breaching the key warming threshold of 1.5°C, beyond which increasingly severe and compounding climate impacts are triggered. In 2025, the recorded figure stood at 1.43°C, highlighting the urgent need for action.
Widespread Impacts of Extreme Weather
The report detailed the devastating effects of climate change in 2025, including intense heatwaves, heavy rainfall, wildfires, drought, tropical cyclones, storms, and flooding. These events have led to widespread death and vast economic losses globally. Furthermore, the cascading impacts have exacerbated food insecurity, displacement, and health risks, such as mosquito-borne dengue disease and heat stress, driven by shifting rainfall patterns.
WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo noted, "Human activities are increasingly disrupting the natural equilibrium, and we will live with these consequences for hundreds and thousands of years. On a day-to-day basis, our weather has become more extreme."
Long-Term Climate Commitments
The accelerating amount of heat in the world's oceans, which stores more than 91% of the excess heat in Earth's system, means the planet is moving towards timescales of committed climate change for centuries. Additionally, the planet's energy imbalance—the rate at which energy from the sun enters and leaves Earth—reached a new high in 2025.
Heat-trapping greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have risen to their highest levels in at least 800,000 years, further driving global warming and ice melt. The report also highlighted the importance of climate data, early warning systems, and integrated climate services for health to protect populations as temperatures continue to rise.
