Paris: August 2025 ranked as the world’s third-hottest August on record, with global temperatures averaging 1.29 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The unprecedented heatwaves and extreme weather events witnessed across Europe, Asia, and other regions highlight the intensifying effects of human-caused climate change.
The Copernicus bulletin, which aggregates billions of satellite and weather readings dating back to 1940, revealed that western Europe experienced the most pronounced above-average temperatures, with southwest France and the Iberian Peninsula particularly affected. Spain endured a 16-day heatwave that claimed more than 1,100 lives, according to the Carlos III Health Institute, while wildfires swept across Spain and Portugal, forcing thousands to evacuate. Scientists estimate that climate change made the hot, dry, and windy conditions driving these fires 40 times more likely than under pre-industrial conditions.
“August’s extreme heat and record-warm seas underline the urgent need not only to reduce emissions but also to adapt to more frequent and intense climate extremes,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at C3S. She emphasized that the warming of the oceans, which act as a climate buffer by absorbing excess heat, is closely linked to worsening weather patterns globally.
Beyond Europe, abnormal temperatures were observed across Siberia, parts of Antarctica, China, the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and the Middle East. National weather agencies in the UK, Japan, and South Korea reported that this summer marked the hottest on record in each country, underscoring a broader global trend of rising temperatures.
Copernicus data also highlighted record-breaking ocean temperatures in the North Atlantic, west of France and the United Kingdom, while the Mediterranean saw mixed results that, although extreme, were less severe than in 2024. Experts warn that even small rises in global temperature, such as the 1.29 degrees Celsius recorded this August, are sufficient to destabilize the climate, intensifying storms, floods, and heatwaves.
“The human fingerprint on this climate crisis is undeniable,” Burgess said. “Our emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels since the industrial revolution are driving these changes, and the consequences are already deadly and far-reaching.”
The 2025 August heatwave adds to a mounting body of evidence that global warming is accelerating, with scientists calling for urgent action to mitigate emissions and strengthen disaster preparedness worldwide.
Sources: Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), Carlos III Health Institute, UK Met Office, Japan Meteorological Agency, Korea Meteorological Administration.