PETALING JAYA: Marking World Meteorological Day, the United Nations’ weather agency has declared that the planet has just experienced the hottest decade on record. The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) State of the Global Climate 2025 report said the period from 2015 to 2025 ranks as the 11 hottest years ever recorded, with 2025 itself among the top three warmest years at about 1.43°C above the 1850–1900 average. Sea ice levels remain near historic lows, with Arctic ice at or close to record lows and Antarctic sea ice the third lowest on record. Commenting on the report, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the global climate is in a state of emergency. Meanwhile, ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland continue to lose mass, while Arctic sea ice in 2025 ranked as the lowest or second lowest in the satellite record.

Source: The Star March 23, 2026 16:40 UTC