July 2025 Was Earth’s Third-Hottest on Record
Last month was officially the third warmest July recorded on Earth, according to climate scientists. The month also marked a new national record in Turkey, where temperatures reached an unprecedented 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 Fahrenheit).
Extreme Climate Patterns Continue
Despite a pause in record-breaking monthly temperatures, the overall trend of global warming persists. Scientists link these ongoing changes to human-caused climate change, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels.
Data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) shows that the global surface air temperature in July averaged 16.68°C. This was 0.45°C higher than the 1991–2020 average for the same month. While July 2025 did not break the records set in 2023 or 2024, it still ranked among the hottest Julys ever recorded.
Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S, noted that although the recent streak of temperature records has ended for now, climate change remains ongoing. He highlighted extreme weather events such as deadly heatwaves and floods during July as further evidence of the planet’s warming.
Long-Term Warming Exceeds Climate Goals
The average global temperature in July 2025 was 1.25°C higher than during the pre-industrial era of 1850–1900. That period marked the beginning of widespread fossil fuel use.
More concerning is the temperature average over the past 12 months—from August 2024 to July 2025—which was 1.53°C above pre-industrial levels. This exceeds the 1.5°C target set under the 2016 Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to avoid severe climate impacts.
Although the world has not yet passed the 1.5°C threshold over several decades—considered the official mark—many scientists believe it is now unlikely to remain below this level. As a result, they are calling for faster reductions in carbon dioxide emissions to limit further damage and avoid worsening extreme weather events.
The C3S uses records dating back to 1940 and validates them against broader global data that extends as far back as 1850.
with inputs from Reuters