Global warming has continued to rise at an alarming rate which was caused by human activities. A recent study found that human-caused warming reached 1.37°C in 2025.
This means the entire climate system is heating up faster than before, with effects that can already be seen across the world in many different forms.
Related study was published recently and involved more than 70 scientists from around the world. These scientists came from 56 institutions across 17 countries, including contributors from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The research tracked 12 important indicators of the Earth’s climate system, covering everything from greenhouse gases to sea levels, in order to give a complete picture of how fast the planet is warming.
We should learn more about it.
Greenhouse Gases and Energy Imbalance
One of the main indicators studied was the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases, mostly produced by burning fossil fuels, are currently at their highest level ever recorded.
However, the study also found some good news, as the growth of carbon dioxide emissions appears to be slowing down, even though overall levels remain very high and continue to trap heat in the atmosphere.
Another important indicator is called the Earth’s energy imbalance (EEI). This indicator shows the difference between the energy entering and leaving the planet.
According to the study, this imbalance has more than doubled since the 1970s and is now at a record level, showing how much extra heat the planet is holding on to each year instead of releasing it back into space.
This growing imbalance is a clear sign that the planet is absorbing more heat than it releases. Scientists use this measurement to understand the true pace of global warming.
The higher the imbalance, the faster the climate system continues to heat up, which makes it one of the most important indicators for predicting how the climate will change in future decades.
Heat and Rising Sea Levels
Most of the heat trapped on Earth, around 90 percent, goes into the ocean. This causes serious problems for marine and coastal areas around the world.
As the ocean absorbs more heat, seawater expands, and glaciers, ice sheets, and permafrost melt faster than scientists previously expected, adding even more water into the ocean system.
Because of this process, global sea levels are rising faster than ever before. In 2025, the global average sea level was about 23 centimeters higher than it was in 1901.
Aimée Slangen, one of the study’s authors, said that even this level of change is increasing coastal flooding in low-lying areas around the world, harming livelihoods and ecosystems.
This rising sea level threatens many livelihoods and ecosystems near the coast. Flooding can damage homes, farmland, and important natural habitats, forcing some communities to think about relocating to safer ground.
Communities living in these areas face greater risks every year as the sea continues to rise, especially during storms and unusually high tides.
The extra heat absorbed by the ocean has also caused marine heatwaves to happen more often. These heatwaves can seriously damage marine ecosystems and hurt commercial fishing industries, affecting the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on the sea.
In 2025 alone, there were 65 days of marine heatwaves, which is more than three times the number recorded in 1991, showing just how quickly this problem is getting worse.
Extreme Weather
The effects of ocean heat do not stay only in the water, but they also influence weather patterns on land. Warmer oceans cause more evaporation, which fills the atmosphere with extra moisture.
This increased moisture leads to more severe weather events, including stronger hurricanes, heavier floods, and more unpredictable rainfall patterns in many regions around the world.
According to the study, 2025 was officially the third warmest year ever recorded. Scientists also confirmed that natural climate variability had only a small effect on global temperatures last year.
This shows that most of the warming is directly linked to human activities rather than natural causes such as volcanic activity or natural ocean cycles.
Between 2016 and 2025, the average global temperature increase was 1.26°C compared to pre-industrial levels. Out of this number, 1.24°C was caused specifically by human activities.
This data proves that human actions, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are the main driver of climate change in recent years, and that natural factors play only a small role.
These extreme weather patterns are not isolated events happening in only one place. Instead, they are connected to a larger global system that is becoming more unstable as temperatures rise.
Hurricanes, floods, and heatwaves are expected to become even more frequent and intense if global warming continues at its current pace.
Human Responsibility
Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, stated that nearly all of the warming over the last decade comes from human activities.
She also warned that the impacts on livelihoods and ecosystems are already being felt around the world. According to her, these impacts will become even worse as temperatures continue to rise in the coming years if no major changes are made.
If this trend continues, global warming is expected to surpass 1.5°C within about four years. This number is important because many countries have agreed to try to limit global warming to 1.5°C in order to avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change.
Crossing this limit could lead to even more extreme weather, rising sea levels, and damage to ecosystems worldwide, affecting both people and wildlife in ways that may be difficult to reverse.
Reducing the use of fossil fuels and lowering greenhouse gas emissions are seen as essential steps toward slowing down this dangerous trend before it becomes even harder to control.
Without serious changes, the negative effects of global warming will likely continue to grow in the coming years. It makes it harder for future generations to adapt to a rapidly changing planet.
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