Abu dhabi: Scientists have confirmed that 2025 was the world's third warmest year on record, marking the third consecutive year with global temperatures exceeding 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

According to Emirates News Agency, last year recorded temperatures 1.41 degrees above the baseline of 19th-century temperatures, trailing behind 2024's record heat and 2023. This data was provided by the Hadcrut5 dataset, which is collated by the Met Office, UEA, and NCAS. In parallel, the European Copernicus Era5 analysis reported temperatures at 1.47 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

The Hadcrut5 dataset highlighted an average temperature increase over the past three years at 1.47 degrees above the 1850 to 1900 baseline. Meanwhile, the Copernicus monitoring found that these years averaged more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Professor Tim Osborn, Director of UEA's Climate Research Unit, noted that the previous two years experienced increased temperatures due to a natural climate variation in the Pacific Ocean, the El Ni±o pattern, which added approximately 0.1 degrees to global temperatures. This pattern weakened in 2025, providing a clearer picture of the underlying human-driven warming.

With analyses indicating long-term temperatures at 1.37 and 1.4 degrees above pre-industrial levels, experts have warned that the world is nearing the 1.5-degree threshold agreed upon by countries in the Paris climate agreement. This limit aims to prevent the worst impacts of droughts, floods, extreme heat, wildfires, and ecological collapse.