2025 Cooler Than 2024 But Still Among The Hottest Years Ever Globally: What 2026 Forecast Shows

Last Updated:January 14, 2026, 17:17 IST

Scientists stressed that while more records are likely in the coming years, the outcome is not predetermined.

Scientists said that the long-term warming trend is unmistakable.

Global temperatures in 2025 did not match the record-breaking highs of 2024, helped by the cooling influence of the La Nina weather pattern in the Pacific, according to new data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the UK’s Met Office. Even so, scientists say the bigger picture remains troubling as they warned that the past three years are the warmest ever recorded.

Why Was 2025 Slightly Cooler Than 2024?

The main reason was La Nina, a natural climate pattern that tends to cool global temperatures slightly. La Nina conditions returned in 2025 after the strong El Nino that helped push temperatures to record levels in 2024.

“El Nino years tend to be warmer, La Nina years a bit cooler," scientists explained, asserting, “That’s normal variability."

Why Are Scientists Still Worried?

Despite La Nina’s cooling effect, 2025 was still far warmer than years from even a decade ago. According to Copernicus and Met Office data, the global average temperature in 2025 was more than 1.4°C above pre-industrial levels from the late 1800s. Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus, said, “If we go twenty years into the future and look back at the mid-2020s, we will see these years as relatively cool."

What Does This Mean For Long-Term Warming?

Scientists said that the long-term warming trend is unmistakable. While individual years can rise or fall slightly due to natural factors, the overall direction is upward because of human-driven greenhouse gas emissions. Prof Rowan Sutton, director of the Met Office Hadley Centre, said, “We understand very well that if we continue to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, the planet responds by warming."

Differences in exact temperature figures between research groups exist, mainly due to how “pre-industrial" temperatures are calculated but there is no disagreement about the trend itself.

Did Extreme Weather Continue In 2025?

Yes. Even though 2025 was not the single hottest year on record, extreme weather events linked to climate change persisted. Scientists said that events such as the Los Angeles wildfires in January and Hurricane Melissa in October were likely intensified by global warming. Warmer oceans and air allow storms to carry stronger winds and heavier rainfall, increasing the risk of flooding and destruction.

How Close Is World To Breaching 1.5°C limit?

The continued warmth pushed the planet closer to breaching the 1.5°C target agreed to by nearly 200 countries under the 2015 Paris Agreement. That threshold was set to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change. Dr Samantha Burgess said, “Looking at the most recent data, it looks like we’ll exceed that 1.5-degree level of long-term warming by the end of this decade."

Will Temperatures Continue To Soar?

Scientists stressed that while more records are likely in the coming years, the outcome is not predetermined. Prof Rowan Sutton said, “We can strongly affect what happen. By cutting greenhouse gas emissions to limit warming, and by adapting to make societies more resilient to the changes already underway."

News world 2025 Cooler Than 2024 But Still Among The Hottest Years Ever Globally: What 2026 Forecast Shows

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