Some of the extra energy trapped by these gases warms the atmosphere and the land, as well as melting the planet’s ice.<\/p>\n
The world’s glaciers had one of their five worst years on record in 2024\/25, according to provisional data, while sea ice at both poles<\/a> was at or near record lows throughout most of 2025.<\/p>\n But more than 90% of the Earth’s extra energy heats the oceans, which in turn harms marine life, drives more intense storms and contributes to sea-level rise.<\/p>\n The heat stored in the upper 2km (1.2 miles) of the global ocean reached a new high last year, the WMO says. Over the past two decades, it has been warming more than twice as quickly as during the late 20th Century.<\/p>\n “Human activities are increasingly disrupting the natural equilibrium and we will live with these consequences for hundreds and thousands of years,” said Prof Celeste Saulo, secretary general of the WMO.<\/p>\n The report points to the impacts of rising temperatures today, which are helping to intensify many types of extreme weather<\/a> and aiding the spread of diseases such as dengue.<\/p>\n The south-west US is currently in the midst of a record-breaking early-season heatwave<\/a>, with temperatures exceeding 40C in places over recent days \u2013 about 10-15C above average<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rapid analysis by scientists at the World Weather Attribution group on Friday found that intensity of heat would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change.<\/p>\n