May 2025 Adds to Longest Streak of Record Heat

According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, May 2025 was the second warmest May ever recorded, both on land and in oceans.

Global surface temperatures averaged 1.4°C above preindustrial levels, just under the critical 1.5°C benchmark set in the Paris Agreement. The North Atlantic experienced a severe marine heatwave, while the Mediterranean Sea remained significantly warmer than average.

Ocean warming is already disrupting marine ecosystems, forcing species migration, weakening nutrient flows, and fueling more destructive storms.

These trends come as Europe faces deepening droughts, with the UK, Denmark, and the Netherlands recording some of their driest conditions in decades.

Over the past 12 months, the average global temperature stood at 1.57°C above the preindustrial baseline. While May briefly dipped below the 1.5°C mark, scientists caution this is likely temporary.

The UN’s World Meteorological Organization projects a 70% chance that the 2025–2029 period will exceed 1.5°C on average.