The year 2025 is closing with alarming signals about the pace of planetary warming. According to the latest analysis from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the year is virtually certain to end as the second or third warmest year ever measured, likely matching or surpassing 2023. The findings underscore a rapidly accelerating climate crisis, marked by intensifying extreme weather and persistent global temperature anomalies.
Global temperatures reaching historic highs
Copernicus reports that November 2025 was the third warmest November ever recorded worldwide, continuing a sequence of record-breaking months. The global mean temperature for January–November 2025 was 0.60°C above the 1991–2020 average, and 1.48°C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900).
This anomaly places 2025 nearly identical to 2023, pending final December data. Copernicus notes that the three-year period 2023–2025 is likely to exceed the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial temperature levels for the first time over such a sustained interval.
This is particularly significant: just a decade ago, the Paris Agreement aimed to prevent precisely this level of warming.
Extreme weather as a consequence of warming
The rise in global temperatures has contributed to more frequent and intense extreme weather events. According to Copernicus, November 2025 was marked by destructive tropical cyclones in Southeast Asia, which caused large-scale flooding and human losses.
International reporting confirms this pattern. Analyses published by The Guardian and the Financial Times underline that 2025 has been characterised by severe climatic impacts across continents, with scientists warning that these events are directly linked to anthropogenic climate change.
Temperatures in Cyprus during 2025
Although full-year climatological data for Cyprus are not yet published, several indicators point to marked local warming in 2025, consistent with trends across the Eastern Mediterranean.
November 2025 was exceptionally warm in Cyprus, with mean temperatures 3.8°C above the 1991–2020 average, making it the second-warmest November on record for the island.
(The Cyprus Institute, Climate & Atmosphere Research Centre
Summer 2025 also showed significantly elevated temperatures, further intensifying concerns about heat stress, water scarcity and the long-term impact on ecosystems.
(Historical temperature analysis via WeatherSpark)
The Mediterranean basin is one of the fastest-warming regions globally, and 2025 has reinforced scientific expectations that Cyprus will continue to experience rising temperatures, prolonged heatwaves, and increasing pressure on natural resources.
A warning sign for the years ahead
UN Secretary General António Guterres has described crossing the 1.5°C threshold as “now unavoidable, though hopefully temporary”, urging intensified global action to reduce emissions. Climate scientists within Copernicus stress that these temperature milestones are not abstract metrics but indicators of an accelerating crisis that requires immediate and coordinated response.
However, political momentum appears fragile. Coverage from dw.com and other international outlets highlights that COP30 in Belém (November 2025) ended with limited commitments and no agreement on phasing out fossil fuels, with several key players absent from negotiations.
Regional anomalies and global patterns
Copernicus reports that temperatures in November were above average across most of the world, with especially notable anomalies in the Canadian Arctic, parts of the Southern Ocean, and across Antarctica. These polar trends are deeply concerning, given their influence on sea levels, ice-sheet stability and atmospheric circulation.
For Cyprus and the broader Mediterranean, which already face high baseline temperatures, these global shifts signal more intense summers, increased wildfire risk, stronger storms, and deeper challenges for agriculture and water management.
Climate change in perspective
As Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, noted:
“These milestones reflect the accelerating pace of climate change, and the only way to prevent further warming is by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
While global ambition weakens, scientific evidence continues to strengthen. The data from 2025 serve as another reminder that climate change is no longer a distant scenario but a lived reality — one that will increasingly shape daily life, infrastructure resilience and environmental policy in Cyprus and worldwide.
Sources: CNA, Copernicus Climate Change Service, The Guardian, Financial Times, Welt, DW, The Cyprus Institute (CARE-C), WeatherSpark