Washington [US], December 31: The worsening climate change situation, fueled by human behavior, has made 2025 one of the three hottest years on record, according to AP yesterday, citing a report by the World Climate Science Alliance (WWA).
2025 also marks the first time that average temperatures for three consecutive years will break the threshold set in the 2015 Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
A report by WWA researchers, released yesterday in Europe, follows a year of dangerous extreme weather events worldwide due to global warming. Temperatures remain high despite the presence of La Nina , a natural cooling phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean. Researchers attribute this trend to the continued burning of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal, which release greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming .
"If we don't quickly stop burning fossil fuels, it will be very difficult to achieve our goal of controlling temperatures," AP quoted Friederike Otto, co-founder of WWA and currently working at Imperial College London (UK). "Science is increasingly proving this very clearly," according to researcher Otto.
WWA scientists have identified 157 of the most severe extreme weather events this year, based on criteria such as causing more than 100 deaths, affecting more than 50% of the local population, or requiring authorities to declare a state of emergency. Analysis shows that dangerous heatwaves are among these, which WWA has identified as the deadliest extreme weather pattern in 2025. And their frequency is increasing due to climate change.
Meanwhile, a prolonged drought has contributed to severe wildfires in Greece and Türkiye. Heavy rains and flooding in Mexico have killed dozens of people and left many others missing. Super Typhoon Phoenix struck the Philippines, leading to the evacuation of over 1 million people. Heavy rains also devastated India, causing widespread flooding and landslides.
WWA warns that the increasing frequency of extreme weather events is pushing countries globally to the "adaptation limit," meaning that local areas are unable to prepare or respond in time because storms arrive too quickly.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
