Earth is losing its balance while the world focuses on war; Here is how

While wars and global tensions dominate headlines, another crisis is quietly intensifying in the background. A new global climate report highlights how the Earth’s natural balance is being disrupted, with rising temperatures, melting ice and extreme weather events affecting everyday life.

The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Global Climate 2025 report, released on Monday, has warned that the Earth’s climate is more out of balance than at any point in recorded history.

For the first time, the report includes the Earth’s energy imbalance as a major indicator. This measures how much energy enters the Earth from the sun compared to how much leaves it. In a stable system, these two are nearly equal. However, increasing levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases have disturbed this balance.

Understanding Earth’s energy imbalance

The imbalance has been rising since records began in 1960, with a sharp increase over the past two decades. In 2025, it reached its highest level yet.

Only a small portion of this extra heat, about 1 percent, warms the atmosphere near the Earth’s surface. Around 5 percent is absorbed by land areas. The vast majority, more than 91 percent, is taken up by the oceans, which act as a buffer by absorbing heat and slowing temperature rise on land.

Another 3 percent of this excess energy contributes to melting ice.

Oceans are heating faster than before

Ocean heat content also hit a record high in 2025. The pace of warming has more than doubled when comparing the period from 1960 to 2005 with 2005 to 2025.

Over the last nine years, each year has set a new record for ocean heat levels. This shows a clear and steady rise, with long-term effects on marine life, weather systems and sea levels.

Greenhouse gases continue to rise

Measurements from monitoring stations show that levels of key greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, continued to increase in 2025.

Data from 2024, the most recent year with complete global records, shows that carbon dioxide reached its highest level in two million years. Methane and nitrous oxide levels were also at their highest in at least 800,000 years.

The increase in carbon dioxide in 2024 was the largest since measurements began in 1957, driven by ongoing fossil fuel emissions and a reduced ability of land and oceans to absorb carbon.

Global temperatures remain high

The report states that 2025 was either the second or third warmest year in a 176-year record. This is partly linked to La Niña conditions, which can temporarily cool the planet.

The average global temperature near the Earth’s surface was about 1.43 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. In comparison, 2024 remains the warmest year recorded, at around 1.55 degrees Celsius above those levels.

Rising seas and melting ice

Sea levels continue to rise, with global averages in 2025 close to the record highs seen in 2024. Levels are now about 11 centimetres higher than they were at the start of satellite tracking in 1993.

Glaciers are also shrinking rapidly. During the 2024 to 2025 hydrological year, glacier mass loss ranked among the five worst on record.

Sea ice is also declining. The Arctic recorded its lowest or second lowest sea ice extent since satellite observations began in 1979. Antarctic sea ice levels were the third lowest, following particularly low levels in 2023 and 2024.

Extreme weather and its wider impact

A supplementary section of the report looks at extreme weather events and their broader effects. It includes data from international organisations focusing on migration, food supply and humanitarian issues.

Extreme weather is increasingly affecting agriculture, leading to concerns about food security. Climate-related food shortages are now seen as a growing risk, with possible impacts on social stability, migration patterns and the spread of pests and diseases.

Health risks are increasing

Climate change is also affecting human health. Dengue has become the fastest-growing mosquito-borne disease worldwide. According to global health data, around half of the world’s population is now at risk, with cases at their highest levels.

Heat exposure is another concern. More than one-third of the global workforce, about 1.2 billion people, experience heat-related risks during their work each year, especially those in farming and construction.

A clear warning from global leaders

The secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization explained that advances in science have improved understanding of the Earth’s energy imbalance and the current climate situation. She stated that human activities are increasingly disturbing the natural balance and that these effects will be felt for hundreds and even thousands of years.

The United Nations secretary-general described the situation as a climate emergency. He stated that the planet is being pushed beyond its limits and that every major climate indicator is showing warning signs.

He further explained that the gap between heat absorbed and released by the Earth is now at its highest level, meaning the planet is trapping heat faster than it can release it.

He also pointed out that reliance on fossil fuels is not only destabilising the climate but also affecting global security. He highlighted the need to move quickly towards renewable energy, noting that it supports climate stability, energy security and national safety.