Overview
- The agency confirms 2015–2025 as the hottest 11-year period on record; 2024 averaged about 1.55°C above preindustrial levels and 2025 about 1.43°C, ranking second or third depending on dataset.
- For the first time the report quantifies Earth’s energy imbalance, documenting a rise since 1960 and a new peak in 2025.
- Oceans store more than 91% of the surplus energy as warming accelerates, with ocean heat uptake more than doubling since 2005 and acidification intensifying.
- Only about 1% of excess energy shows up as surface warming, roughly 5% is stored in soils, and around 3% drives ice melt.
- Accelerating ice loss and ocean heat have lifted global mean sea level by about 11 cm since 1993 with a faster rise since around 2012, while extreme events affected millions and caused damages in the billions as UN and WMO leaders urge rapid emissions cuts.