SYLLABUS
GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Context: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in its State of the Global Climate Report 2025, released on World Meteorological Day (23 March), warns that the Earth’s climate system is in a state of emergency due to unprecedented warming and energy imbalance.
About the Report
• The State of the Global Climate is an annual flagship report of WMO that provides an authoritative assessment of the global climate system.
• It compiles scientific inputs from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, WMO Regional Climate Centres, UN agencies, international data centres, and climate experts.
• The report updates key climate indicators such as temperature, greenhouse gases, ocean heat, sea level, and cryosphere changes.
• It also documents major extreme weather events and their socio-economic impacts, including effects on health, food security, and displacement.
• The 2025 edition introduces Earth’s Energy Imbalance as a key indicator, reflecting advances in climate science and monitoring.
Key Findings of the Report
• Record-Breaking Warming Trends: The period 2015–2025 constitutes the 11 hottest years on record.
- 2025 was among the top three warmest years, about 1.43°C above pre-industrial (1850–1900) levels.
- Warming persists despite cooling influences like La Niña, indicating strong long-term warming trends.
• Rising Greenhouse Gas Concentrations: Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are ~50% higher than pre-industrial levels.
- CO₂, methane, and nitrous oxide have reached their highest levels in at least 800,000 years.
- Continued fossil fuel use and weakening natural carbon sinks are driving record emissions.
• Earth’s Energy Imbalance at Record High: For the first time, the report highlights Earth’s Energy Imbalance as a core indicator.
- It measures the difference between incoming solar energy and outgoing heat.
- This imbalance is now the highest in a 65-year record, showing that excess heat is accumulating in the Earth system.
• Oceans (Major Heat and Carbon Sink): Oceans absorb over 90% of excess heat and act as a climate buffer.
- Ocean heat content reached a record high in 2025, with warming rates doubling since 2005.
- Oceans have absorbed energy equivalent to ~18 times annual human energy use each year for two decades.
- Increased CO₂ absorption is causing ocean acidification, threatening marine ecosystems.
• Accelerating Sea-Level Rise: Global mean sea level is now ~11 cm higher than in 1993.
- The rate of sea-level rise has accelerated in recent years, driven by ocean warming and ice melt.
- This leads to coastal flooding, ecosystem damage, and groundwater salinization.
• Cryosphere Under Severe Stress: Arctic Sea ice is at or near record lows, while Antarctic Sea ice is among the lowest recorded.
- Glacier mass loss is accelerating, with some of the worst losses occurring in recent years.
- Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica continue to lose mass, contributing to sea-level rise.
• Intensification of Extreme Weather Events: Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall and floods, tropical cyclones and storms and wildfires, and droughts.
- These events caused thousands of deaths, affected millions, and led to billions in economic losses.
- They also expose the vulnerability of interconnected global economies.
• Climate Impacts on Society, Health, and Economy: Climate change is adversely affecting livelihoods, ecosystems, and health systems by increasing risks of vector- and water-borne diseases, mental stress, and widespread heat exposure, with over one-third of the global workforce facing heat-related productivity losses.
• Food Security, Displacement, and Systemic Risks: Extreme weather events are triggering cascading impacts on agriculture, food security, and migration, leading to large-scale displacement and heightened vulnerability, especially in fragile and conflict-affected regions.
• Long-Term and Irreversible Changes: Many climate impacts, particularly ocean warming, sea-level rise, and acidification, are irreversible over centuries to millennia, locking in long-term consequences for the planet.
• Urgent Need for Climate Action: The report highlights the urgent need for rapid emission reductions, transition away from fossil fuels, and achievement of net-zero targets to prevent further escalation of climate risks.
Sources:
WMO
Indian Express
Down To Earth