TALENT ALERT: Copernicus Climate Report reveals 2025 one of the hottest years on record
Climate Media Centre
14 Jan 2026
New global climate data released today by the Copernicus Climate Change Service confirms that 2025 was among the hottest years ever recorded, marked by extreme heat, oceanic warming and escalating climate impacts driven by the burning of fossil fuels.
Climate scientists and frontline experts say the findings confirm climate change is not a future threat, but a present and accelerating crisis that is already reshaping lives, ecosystems and economies across the globe.
The Copernicus Global Climate Highlights report shows 2025 continued a pattern of rising global temperatures, intensifying heatwaves, worsening bushfire conditions and compounding impacts on cities, food systems and natural ecosystems.
Experts warn these climate extremes align with long-standing scientific projections, but are now unfolding faster and with increased severity than many communities were prepared for.
To interview the experts below, please contact Sean Kennedy at the Climate Media Centre — 0447 121 378 — [email protected] (please also contact for password to report content on this link)
Professor Ian Lowe AO, Emeritus Professor of Science, Technology and Society and former Head of the School of Science at Griffith University
Prof Lowe is one of Australia’s most respected voices on climate science, risk and public policy, with decades of experience advising governments and institutions on sustainability and climate action – he has been a referee for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program and the Millennium Assessment.
“2025 brought heat extremes and climate records that even 10 years ago would have seemed exceptional. From Western Europe’s hottest June ever to extreme marine heatwaves around Australia, the data reveal a climate system under severe stress.
“Climate change is still accelerating because climate pollution from burning fossil fuels is still increasing. While several local authorities have recognised that we face a climate emergency, our Federal and State governments are still behaving as if a climate change response is less important than propping up our fossil fuel industry, with hugely polluting projects still being approved. Future generations will see this approach as criminally irresponsible.”
Emeritus Professor Mark Howden AC, Climate Scientist, Australian National University
Prof Howden is the former Director of the Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions at The Australian National University, and a Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and was the Chair of the ACT Climate Change Council.
“In 2025 globally we saw heatwaves, devastating bushfires and powerful storms increasing risks to agriculture, food and water security and regional economies amongst many other systems. Across Asia heatwaves overwhelmed health systems and stressed crops and infrastructure.
“These trends align exactly with what climate science has been warning for decades – the more we delay deep greenhouse gas emissions cuts, the more frequent, intense and costly these events become.
“These climate extremes are no longer rare events, they are becoming the baseline we must now plan around. Responding effectively means not only cutting emissions, but adapting our food, water, health, financial and other systems and infrastructure so they can withstand these emerging extremes.”
“Without rapid emissions reduction alongside serious investment in adaptation, the risks to food and water security, human health, regional livelihoods and economic stability will continue to escalate. The cost of inaction on climate change is way higher than the costs of action.”
Dr Scott Bennett, marine ecologist at IMAS, University of Tasmania
Scott is an expert on the impacts climate change has on temperate reefs, specifically the disappearance of the giant kelp forests around Tasmania’s coasts, which Scott is fighting to save. Scott leads the Great Southern Reef Research Partnership - a collaboration of scientists, managers and NGOs across Australia working to safeguard the Great Southern Reef.
“In 2025, southwestern Australia recorded its hottest temperatures since the extreme marine heatwave in 2011 which devastated the region; and for the first time ever recorded, the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reefs bleached at the same time. In South Australia marine heatwaves in combination with the prolonged harmful algal bloom wreaked havoc on our southern reefs at an unprecedented scale. Collectively, 2025 was a challenging year for kelp forests of the Great Southern Reef.
“We are seeing ecological change at a pace that challenges the ability of species, and the industries that depend on them, to adapt. This poses serious long-term risks for kelp forests, coral reefs and other marine ecosystems as well as our fisheries and coastal communities right around Australia.”
“Protecting these ecosystems means tackling the root cause of warming – slashing climate pollution. This must also be paired with increased investment in scientific monitoring and coastal conservation projects that give these systems a fighting chance to adapt and survive.”
Angela Frimberger – Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action
Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action represents Australians living on the frontlines of climate-fuelled disasters.
“Climate change is already expensive and dangerous, making fire seasons worse and worse, as being experienced by rural Victorians at present - this report underscores the trend and tells us we’re in for more.
“Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action’s members know the personal and financial toll of climate change all too well. And we’re only a fraction of those being hit hard by this, including floods, storms, sea level rise and more; plus the day-to-day cost of living impacts of climate change like insurance, groceries and lost wages.
“Climate change is being accelerated by pollution from burning coal, oil and gas – and it isn’t fair that fossil fuel producers are taking Australia’s resources and pocketing profits, while communities are stuck with the costs of their pollution. The good news is that decisively cutting climate pollution now will help to keep communities safe and healthy, and save costs too.”
Anjali Sharma – Lead litigant in Sharma v Minister for Environment case.
“In 2025 we saw climate extremes intensify in ways that directly threaten young people’s health, safety and futures – from extreme heat to worsening fires, floods and air pollution. The science has been clear for years, and now the lived reality is undeniable.
“This report is another reminder that the status quo is failing young people. Decisions made today about climate pollution will shape the world my generation and the next are forced to live in; yet there is still no law in Australia that requires decision-makers to properly consider the harm their choices cause to children and future generations. Governments have a moral and legal obligation to act in line with the science, because young people deserve a future that is safe, liveable and fair.”
Emma Bacon – CEO, Sweltering Cities
Sweltering Cities advocates for heat-safe housing, cities and infrastructure as extreme heat becomes Australia’s deadliest natural hazard.
“In 2025 we heard the same message from communities across Australia that people are sweating and struggling through dangerous heat in their homes, suburbs and workplaces. When temperatures climb past 40°C, renters in poorly insulated homes, people who can't afford to keep cool and insecure workers who are hit first and hardest.
“Rising temperatures and dangerous heat aren't a future problem, they're already shaping our summers. People are telling us they need cooler, safer homes, shaded streets, access to affordable cooling and planning that puts community safety first. These aren’t optional extras, they’re essential to keeping people safe in a warming climate. We need to stop burning coal, oil and gas because every fraction of a degree hotter that the world gets means that millions more people will be exposed to dangerous heat.”
ENDS
Contact details:
Climate Media Centre Senior Media Advisor, Sean Kennedy - 0447 121 378 - [email protected]