The excess heat accumulating on Earth has now reached a historic high, making it clear that climate change is not just an issue of temperature, but a crisis of imbalance of the entire energy system.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO)’s latest State of the Global Climate 2025 report puts Earth’s energy imbalance, a key indicator of how fast the planet is warming, into focus for the first time. According to the report, for the first time Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI) has been included as a key indicator. It represents the difference that occurs between energy coming from the Sun and energy going back into space. When this balance is positive, it means that the Earth is continuously storing more heat.
The EEI in 2025 has been recorded at its highest level since 1960. According to scientists, this indicator gives a more accurate picture than traditional surface temperatures. According to the report, the oceans have absorbed about 91 percent of the total excess heat accumulated on Earth since the 1970s. According to Thomas Mortlock, a climate analyst at the University of New South Wales, the atmosphere only holds about one percent of the excess heat, so gauging the severity of the climate crisis based only on surface temperatures could be misleading.
Unprecedented levels of greenhouse gases
The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is expected to reach 423.9 parts per million in 2024, the highest in the last two million years. Along with this, the levels of other major greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide were also recorded at record highs. Analysis of Antarctica’s ice cores shows that CO2 levels have remained between 150 and 300 parts per million over the past 8 million years, making it clear that the current situation has gone far beyond the limits of natural climate change.
Impact on food security, migration and social stability
The impact of the climate crisis is also clearly visible on agricultural production, due to which the risk of food insecurity is increasing. At the same time, extreme weather and environmental changes are causing large-scale displacement of people, especially in areas already experiencing conflict and instability. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres responded to the report, saying the global climate situation is one of emergency. The Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every major climate indicator is signaling danger. That humanity has experienced 11 consecutive hottest years is not a coincidence, but a clarion call to action.
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