Context:
• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its State of the Global Climate 2025, its flagship annual report, highlighting accelerating global warming trends and irreversible climate impacts.
Key Highlights:
- Scientific Findings / Climate Indicators
• 2015–2025 recorded as the hottest 11-year period globally
• 2025 among the top three warmest years, ~1.43°C above pre-industrial levels
• Introduction of Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI) as a key indicator
– Reflects excess heat retained by Earth - Ocean and Cryosphere Changes
• Ocean Heat Content reached a record high
• Around 90% of ocean surfaces affected by marine heatwaves
• Arctic sea ice remains near record lows
• Sea-level rise rate doubled compared to 1993–2002 baseline - Irreversible Changes
• Ocean warming and acidification now irreversible over centuries to millennia
• Long-term accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) driving permanent changes - Health and Socio-economic Impacts
• Rising dengue cases due to climate-sensitive disease spread
• Heat stress impacts over one-third of global workforce
• Increased risks to livelihoods, food security, and public health - Stakeholders Involved
• WMO (UN agency)
• National meteorological agencies
• Governments, climate scientists, global institutions
Relevant Prelims Points:
- World Meteorological Organization (WMO):
– Specialized UN agency (est. 1950, Geneva)
– Deals with weather, climate, and hydrology - Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI):
– Difference between incoming solar radiation and outgoing heat energy
– Positive EEI → global warming acceleration - Marine Heatwaves:
– Periods of abnormally high ocean temperatures
– Affect coral reefs, fisheries, and marine ecosystems - Ocean Acidification:
– Caused by absorption of CO₂ by oceans
– Lowers pH, affecting marine biodiversity - Greenhouse Gases (GHGs):
– CO₂, CH₄, N₂O major contributors to warming
Relevant Mains Points:
- Climate change acceleration and global implications:
– Crossing 1.5°C threshold risks intensifies extreme events
– Impacts include heatwaves, floods, sea-level rise - Significance of EEI as a climate metric:
– Provides real-time assessment of energy accumulation
– Helps refine climate models and policy decisions - Impact on oceans and cryosphere:
– Oceans act as heat sinks, delaying but worsening long-term warming
– Melting ice contributes to coastal vulnerability - Human and economic consequences:
– Health risks (vector-borne diseases, heat stress)
– Economic losses in agriculture, fisheries, labour productivity - Global governance and climate action challenges:
– Gap between climate commitments and implementation
– Need for stronger adaptation and mitigation strategies - Way Forward:
– Accelerate decarbonization and renewable energy transition
– Strengthen climate resilience and adaptation policies
– Enhance global cooperation under UNFCCC and Paris Agreement
– Invest in early warning systems and climate finance
UPSC Relevance:
• GS 3: Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management
• GS 2: International Institutions (WMO), Global Cooperation
• Prelims: EEI, Marine Heatwaves, WMO