Air and Ocean Temperatures Breaking Records The third-highest June in NOAA’s 176-year surface temperature record occurred in June 2025. World Meteorological Organization +1, ncei.noaa.gov, maintaining a concerning warming trend. Global ocean temperatures soared during July, causing yet another crisis of coral bleaching. According to scientists, this event in 2023–2025 is the most catastrophic on record, impacting almost 84% of the coral reefs worldwide. Wikipedia. Rapid ocean warming is causing widespread coral destruction in biodiverse areas like the Great Barrier Reef and the Florida Keys.
The equatorial Pacific is firmly in ENSO-neutral territory, according to forecasts for mid-July. According to the Climate Prediction Centre of NOAA and the IRI at Columbia University, there is a about 75% chance of neutrality through September 2025, with the likelihood of La Niña increasing in late 2025 and early 2026. IRI Climate & Society +2 arXiv +2 ncep.noaa.gov +2. This leaves La Niña as a likely late-season development but does not predict any significant El Niño-fueled extreme events in the near future.
Glacier Melting and Ice Dissipation The UN, in collaboration with UNESCO and the WMO, announced the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025 to raise awareness of the declining glaciers that hold about 70% of the freshwater on Earth. Wikipedia +15 IRI ArXiv +15 Climate & Society Wikipedia +1 UN+1. In order to save glacial areas, a historic proclamation from Dushanbe called for inventories and climate-adaptive actions. In March 2025, Antarctic sea ice reached a 47-year low of 1.98 M km², and mass loss is still occurring at a rate of about 136 gigatons annually, threatening weather patterns, ocean currents, and even the rotation of the Earth. The Times of India +2 AP News +2 Wikipedia +2 News.com.au.
The Rise of Renewable Energy
We’ve reached a “positive tipping point,” according to a UN report: Renewables (solar, wind, and other green sources) accounted for 92.5 percent of the additional capacity and drove 74 percent of the net gain in power in 2024. Nowadays, solar is about 41% less expensive than fossil fuels, while wind is 53% less expensive. Global investments in renewable energy surpassed fossil fuel spending by a significant margin, reaching over US $2 trillion. AP News + The Guardian +1. Despite calling this a climate success, UN Secretary-General António Guterres cautions that momentum needs to continue, particularly in terms of funding clean grids in the Global South. The Guardian.
A Court Case on Climate Justice In response to pressure from fragile island nations like Vanuatu, the International Court of Justice is examining a landmark advisory opinion on states’ duties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The ruling could lead to more robust climate litigation and agreements, even though it is not legally enforceable. The Economic Times +3 AP News +3 The Guardian +3.
Migration Caused by Climate Change: The Tuvalu Example
Under a 2023–2024 treaty, Tuvalu is starting what might be the first mass relocation in history due to climate change, with up to 280 inhabitants per year potentially migrating to Australia. Approximately 5,000 Tuvaluans, or roughly half of the population, have applied thus far. According to Live Science, sea levels have increased by roughly 15 cm in the last 30 years, and by 2050, most of the land will be under water.
Carbon Budgets and the Challenge of 1.5°C A scientific analysis estimates that if we keep up present emission trends, we will use up all of the carbon budget we have left to keep global warming to 1.5°C in just two years, or about 80 billion tons of CO₂. In the meantime, CO2 emissions worldwide surged to all-time highs in 2024. The Guardian + The Financial Times +1. The time to prevent a climatic catastrophe is running out.
Effects on Food and Money According to a European and international study, climate extremes (droughts, heat waves, and floods) have directly caused food prices to rise globally; in recent years, coffee has increased by 55%, vegetables by 80%, and chocolate by 280%, according to the World Economic Forum. Central banks are alerting workers to the threat posed by climate change: Up to 1.2 billion people who work in heat-sensitive sectors like construction and agriculture are affected by inequality, inflation, and decreased productivity. In light of the US withdrawal, organizations such as the NGFS now recommend incorporating climate change into monetary policy. Financial Times +1 and Reuters +1.
The Contentious Field of Geoengineering
With an initial budget of £61 million, the UK’s Exploring Climate Cooling Programme is researching solar geoengineering techniques include stratospheric aerosol injection and marine cloud brightening. Under strict supervision, it consists of both lab and minor field testing (Wikipedia). These experiments are last-resort cooling methods caused by a disordered air-to-sun balance.What
All This Signifies
Extreme weather, socioeconomic disruption, and ecosystem collapse are being fueled by the acceleration of climate change on land, in the sea, and in the ice. Although the cost, size, and momentum of renewable energy are increasing, unequal progress—particularly in the Global South—needs immediate legislative and financial action. Responses at the legal, institutional, and societal levels are proliferating: central bank policies, court decisions, and migration frameworks are all adapting to the realities of climate change. At the same time, unconventional tactics like geoengineering are cautiously making their way into the public discourse. 🔍 Reader Call to Action Raise awareness: Tell people in your neighbourhood about the bleaching of reefs, the melting of glaciers, and the skyrocketing costs of food. Encourage clean energy by promoting local and international renewable energy legislation and investments. Protect vulnerable groups by endorsing labour rights, climate justice measures, and migration-safe policies.
Support science and policy
Make sure funding and open review are given to climate research (such as flood forecasts and glacier studies). Hold companies and governments responsible: Encourage financial and legal climate pledges—COP30 in Brazil this November will be crucial. Global climate trends in mid-2025 are bleak: ecosystems are disintegrating, warming is continuing, but there are encouraging indicators, particularly in governance and renewable energy. We are at a crossroads: will we move more quickly or will we miss irreversible tipping points? The time has come to act urgently, sustainably, and jointly. Important sources of climate news The Guardian The UN leader claims today that the world is on the verge of a climate revolution as fossil fuels “run out of road.” AP News The largest-ever ruling by the UN top court has implications for global climate action.
Today Science in Real Time
Residents of Tuvalu are getting ready for the first planned national migration in history, and climate change is to blame. Four days prior According to AP News UN, the world’s tipping point for even lower costs has been reached by booming solar, wind, and other green energy. Today The Guardian Scientists warn that the world’s carbon budget has only two years left to fulfill the 1.5C target (Jun. 18, 2025). References
