2 Nov 2025
Breaking the wrong records
Two new reports tell us how far we are from stopping the climate change catastrophe. The World Meteorological Organization said the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose by a record amount last year. This will affect climate and weather for centuries. Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide – the second and third most important long-lived greenhouse gases related to human activities – have also risen to record levels. As greenhouse gas levels rise so do temperatures and extreme weather which brings one disaster after another around the world.
Another report published in BioScience journal has a stark message. “We are hurtling toward climate chaos. The planet’s vital signs are flashing red. The consequences of human-driven alterations of the climate are no longer future threats but are here now. This unfolding emergency stems from failed foresight, political inaction, unsustainable economic systems, and misinformation. Almost every corner of the biosphere is reeling from intensifying heat, storms, floods, droughts, or fires. The window to prevent the worst outcomes is rapidly closing.”
The State of the Climate report, by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Oregon State University, says 22 of the planet’s 34 key vital signs — such as forest loss, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel subsidies and meat production — are at record levels or trending in the wrong direction. It noted that 2024 was officially the hottest year on record and likely the hottest in the last 125,000 years. The hot weather worsened wildfires around the planet, which added more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and reduced the number of trees to suck carbon dioxide out of the sky. The amount of ice in the Antarctic and Greenland keeps dropping and this is raising sea levels which will cause flooding in coastal cities.
Last year, fossil fuel energy use hit an all-time high, with coal, oil and gas all at peak levels. While solar and wind power consumption also hit record levels, it was more than 30 times lower than fossil fuel consumption. If we are to stop the creating a hotter and more dangerous world we need a rapid phaseout of fossil fuels, energy conservation and a reduction in overconsumption by the wealthy.