Earth warming is accelerating, new study shows

A study in Geophysical Research Letters reports global temperatures rose about 0.35°C in the decade to 2025 and that the rate of warming since 2015 has accelerated, with 2024 exceeding 1.5°C for one year.

Researchers report that planetary warming has accelerated in the past decade. A study published in Geophysical Research Letters found temperatures rose about 0.35°C in the decade to 2025. The authors separated out natural fluctuations such as El Niño, volcanic eruptions and changes in solar irradiance to make the long-term warming trend clearer. They reported that the departure from the earlier, slower warming path began around 2015 and is not explained solely by the unusually hot years of 2023–24. Key findings: - The paper estimates about 0.35°C warming in the decade to 2025 versus roughly 0.2°C per decade on average from 1970 to 2015, reported as the first statistically significant evidence of acceleration. - Researchers removed influences from El Niño, volcanic activity and solar irradiance to isolate an underlying warming signal. - The past three years are reported as the hottest on record, and 2024 exceeded 1.5°C for a single year compared with pre-industrial averages. - Lead author Stefan Rahmstorf is quoted saying continued warming at the recent rate could lead to a long-term exceedance of the Paris 1.5°C limit before 2030, with the rate tied to future CO2 emissions. Summary: The study indicates a clear acceleration in the rate of global warming over the past decade and reports recent annual temperatures that surpass earlier norms. Undetermined at this time.