Some Meteorological Autumn 2025 Highlights
(September through November 2025)
(in progress)
1. The upwelling of cold nutrient-rich waters off the Pacific coast of Panama failed to materialize this year for the first time since record-keeping began, 40 years ago. The upwelling feeds fisheries and reduces heat-stress to coral reefs. Scientists are concerned that we may have passed a tipping point and the upwelling may not materialize in future years.
2. Disastrous flooding in Pakistan which began with pre-monsoon rains in June continues into September.
3. A recent study by Scientists for Global Responsibility estimates that an increase of $1 billion in military spending engenders the equivalent of 32 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
4. Leaders at the Africa Climate Summit call for a new global partnership that treats Africa as an engine of climate solutions rather than a recipient of aid. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared, “We are not here to negotiate our survival. We are here to design the world’s next climate economy.”
5. A new assessment of proposed techniques to geoengineer polar environments to fight climate change finds that they are dangerous, unlikely to work and a distraction.
6. Sept. 10 is the height of the North Atlantic hurricane season; but as of Sept. 10, 2025 not even a tropical depression in sight. All quiet on the Atlantic Front. The North Atlantic hurricane season has so far been a bust.
Some Meteorological Summer 2025 Highlights
(June through August 2025)
BY THE NUMBERS
1. The average temperature anomaly for meteorological Summer 2025 was 1.12°C above the 1850-1900 average, third only to meteorological Summers 2023 and 2024, whose anomalies were 1.28°C and 133°C respectively. August 2025 was the third warmest August behind Augusts 2023 and 2024, and 2025 is on track to be the third warmest year since record keeping began, also behind only 2023 and 2024.
2. The last eleven 12-month periods ending in August (2015-2025) were the 11 warmest on record. The two most recent such 12-month periods were by far the two warmest, with anomalies above the 1850-1900 average of 1.38°C (2025) and 1.48°C (2024). The anomaly for the next warmest such period ending in August 2016 was 1.24°C.
3. The estimated average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during Meteorological Summer 2025 was 427.63ppm, an increase of 2.50ppm over Meteorological Summer 2024, as measured at Mauna Loa. The estimated 12-month running average for September 2024 through August 2025 was 426.55ppm.
4. The El Niño / La Niña (ONI) index remained in neutral territory, falling to −0.2 over the June through August, 3-month period. The ONI index has been mostly in neutral territory since the end of the 2023-24 El Niño episode.
HEAT
5. From the UK to Japan, the Eurasian continent experienced multiple summer heatwaves making 2025 the hottest summer on record for much of the continent.
6. The Eastern Mediterranean (Palestine, Israel, Jordan) has suffered from record-breaking “Hellish” temperatures this summer. Sedom, Israel on the Dead Sea experienced a record *OVERNIGHT LOW* of 97°F on August 12. The heat wave increased the suffering of Palestinians living out in the open in Gaza under Made-in-USA bombs dropped by Israel.
STORMS AND FLOODING
7. Hundreds have died in this summer's flooding in Pakistan, with millions affected. Punjab Province was particularly hard hit. Devastating floods also occurred across the border in India.
8. Texas experienced the deadliest flash floods in the United States in 49 years this summer. 138 died in the floods. Over the past 20 years, the US has also experienced its deadliest hurricane in 77 years, its deadliest tornado in 64 years, and its deadliest wildfire in 100 years.
9. Category 4 pacific Hurricane Erick struck Oaxaca, Mexico in June causing flash flooding and landslides and killing 24. Erick was one of the fastest-intensfying hurricanes on record, with maximum sustained winds increasing by 80 miles per hour over a 24 hour period.
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10. June flooding in the Congo kills at least 77.
FIRE
11. August wildfires on the Iberian Penninsula scorched 1.5 acres killing eight during a heat wave that saw temperatures reach 109°F.
ENERGY GENERATIONS AND EMISSIONS
12. China appears to have turned the corner on CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions in China fell over the first six months of 2025, according to Reuters.
13. China leads the world by leaps and bounds in generation of solar and wind renewable energy. Meanwhile in the United States, the Trump administration is canceling renewable energy projects in favor of polluting fossil fuels. Climate scientists note that the Trump administration's recent climate report is full of falsifications and misinformation.
Some Meteorological Spring 2025 Highlights
(March through May 2025)
BY THE NUMBERS
1. The average temperature anomaly for meteorological Spring 2025 was 1.42°C above the 1850-1900 average, second only to meteorological Spring 2024 whose anomaly was 1.47°C. May 2025 was the second warmest May behind May 2024. April 2025 was the second warmest April behind April 2024. March 2024 and 2025 tied for the warmest March on record.
2. The last eleven 12-month periods ending in May (2015-2025) were the 11 warmest on record. The two most recent such 12-month periods were by far the two warmest, with anomalies of 1.43°C (2025) and 1.47°C (2024). The anomaly for the next warmest such period ending in May 2016 was 1.21°C.
Some other models are showing significantly higher anomalies than NOAA's model. Copernicus Climate Change Service (CCCS) estimates the anomaly for the 12-month period ending in May 2025 as 1.57°C above the 1850-1900 average, as opposed to NOAA's 1.43°C.
3. The estimated average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during Meteorological Spring 2025 was 429.42ppm, an increase of 3.16ppm over Meteorological Spring 2024, as measured at Mauna Loa. The estimated 12-month running average for June 2024 through May 2025 was 425.92ppm.
Hmmm, weren't the 2015 Paris Climate Accords supposed to bring down CO2 in the atmosphere? What happened?
4. The El Niño / La Niña (ONI) index remained in neutral territory, rising to −0.1 over the March through May, 3-month period. La Niña conditions lasted a mere two overlapping 3-month periods, without qualifying as a full-blown La Niña episode.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ENHANCES GLOBAL WARMING
5. Donald Trump is attenpting to cancel protection for the environment and the climate by presidential fiat.
6. Through executive order, Donald Trump has ordered increased logging on federally owned lands. Trees constitute an important carbon sink. The cutting of trees will release large quantities of carbon into our overburdened atmosphere and increase the speed of global warming. In addition, Trump has axed federal grants for wildfire prevention.
7. Prioritizing fossil fuels, the Trump administration opens up large areas of Alaska to oil and gas drilling and mining.
8. The Trump Administration fast tracks licensing of the Delfin LNG Deepwater Terminal, further endangering the health of Louisianans.
9. NOAA is under attack from the Trump Administration. This may make NOAA's forecasting and reporting abilities more difficult or, in some cases, even impossible. With hurricane season upon us, layoffs of NOAA hurricane hunters will degrade hurricane forecasting.
10. The United States is withdrawing from the Just Energy Transition Partnership, a collaboration among rich nations to help developing countries transition from coal to cleaner energy.
EXTREME WEATHER DISASTERS
11. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the world experienced over 150 unprecedented extreme weather disasters in 2024: floods, storms, droughts, heat waves, cyclones, ... and they are happening everywhere. No location on Earth is safe from extreme weather. By “unprecedented,” the WMO means more intense than anything similar that has happened in that location.
STORMS AND FLOODING
Lots of flooding — everywhere. Reminds me of the Pete Seeger song, Waist Deep in the Big Muddy (“and the big fool says to push on,” song starts at 4:07 in video.)
12. Hundreds die in Spring floods in Nigeria, among the worst flooding was the Mokwa flood of May 29.
13.Over 100 die in Congo floods.
14. South China and Tibet have experienced intense rains and catastrophic flooding, with many dead or missing.
15. After an abnormally dry winter in Uttarakhand in northern India, sudden heavy rains set off an avalanche that killed eight.
16. Monsoon rains arrived early in Mumbai on May 26, flooding the city. This was the earliest arrival of monsoon rains in Mumbai in 75 years.
17. Heavy monsoon rains cause widespread flooding and landslides in Northeast india killing over 30 and inundating whole villages.
18. At least 15 died as
heavy rains flood Bah a Blanca, Argentina, with dozens of residents missing.
19. Floods in Bolivia place 200,000 head of cattle at risk.
20. Cyclone Alfred brought a devastating downpours to Brisbane, Australia. Almost five inches fell in a single hour.
21. An area in Queensland, Australia larger than the state of Texas flooded in April.
22. Floods caused by three days of incessant rains that brought four months worth of rain to parts of Australia killed at least four, with many communities isolated.
23. Spring has brought two devastating storms to the central United States. The first spawned 117 tornados including an EF4 tornado in Arkansas, with winds up to 190 mph. The outbreak was responsible for 42 fatalities. Rolla, Missouri was not spared. An EF2 tornado caused wide-spread destruction and power outages but no reported fatalities.
The second storm caused wide-spread flooding in the Mississippi valley and left at least 25 dead.
FIRE
24. Japan is experiencing its most destructive wildfire in 30 years. Thousands have been forced to evacuate. Japan and other locations that have been virtually free of destructive fires, are now experiencing increased devastation from out-of-control wildfires.
25. March wildfires spread through the area of North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene, feeding on downed timber left by the hurricane.
26. Wildfires broke out in the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. The largely unpopulated DMZ has become a haven for wildlife. We need many more demilitarized zones. Maybe the Earth could become one big demilitarized zone.
27. Early season wildfires in central Canada burn out of control causing thousands to evacuate and affecting air quality as far away as the United States.
28. Israel experiences its worst wildfires ever.
HEAT
29. Excessive summer heat came early to South Asia and may have been a factor in precipitating the violent confrontation between India and Pakistan.
30. An extreme May heat wave in central North America sets records from Canada to Mexico. Northern Minnesota experienced an unheard of 100°F in May.
31. Increasing number of days of excessive heat in the last five years have led to increased risk of preterm birth in 222 countries. The risk in the US is highest in desert southwest cities like Phoenix.
32. The United Kingdom has experienced its warmest Spring on record and the driest in 50 years.
LEGAL
33. Even though a Peruvian farmer who brought suit against German energy giant, RWE, lost the case, the German court ruled, for the first time, that polluters can be held liable for damages due to climate change.
BIODIVERSITY
34. Butterflies, a chief pollinator, have declined 22% in the United States from year 2000 to 2020 and continue to decline. Major drivers of the decline are pesticides, climate change and habitat loss. This study included volunteer efforts from individuals and citizen organizations as well as from scientists.
ICE
35. In March 2025, arctic sea ice peaked at its smallest maximum extent on record.
36. Collapse of an alpine glacier has buried a large part of the bucolic Swiss village of Blatten.
SEA LEVEL
37. Sea levels are rising faster than previously expected. According to NASA, sea-level rise in 2024 was 0.23 inches, one third more than the expected 0.17 inches.
GLOBAL WARMING
38. The World Meteorological Organization suggests the possibility of temperatures 2.0°C above pre-industrial times within the next five years. This could spell the end of civilization as we know it.
DROUGHT
39. The Colorado River basin is running out of ground water.
WAR
40. Through January, 2025, Israel's War Against Gaza has generated the equivalent of 1.89 million metric tons of CO2, more than each of 36 countries taken individually.
41. From February 2022 through the end of 2024, five million acres of Ukraine have burned. Some forests may never recover. Since Russian troops moved into Ukraine, the War has added an estimated 230 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent to the atmosphere.
42. Military spending continues to take precedence over spending to limit climate degradation, as Europe cuts climate funding in favor of spending for war.
COP30
43. Indigenous peoples are demanding a larger role in COP30 this coming November.
44. Brazil is clear-cutting tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest to build an eight mile four-lane highway to accommodate government and business elites at COP30, which is likely to, like the 29 COPs before, do little or nothing to slow climate change. I'm reminded here of a quote from Greta Thunberg: “I think it's very insane and weird that people come here [Davos] in private jets to discuss climate change. It's not reasonable.”
45. As Brazil prepares for COP30, Amazon deforestation so far in 2025 has increases by 92% over 2024 largely due to drought and fire.
CAPITALISM
46. The six largest US banks, Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo, have all abandoned the goal of reaching “net-zero” by 2050. It's quite likely that by 2050 there will not be much left for big banks to invest their money in anyway.
47. In the wake of the Trump Administration's attack on attempts to limit global warming, governments and corporations are abandoning all pretense of limiting emissions of greenhouse gases. Brett Christophers points out that as long as the world is ruled by capitalist economics, it is virtually impossible for corporations to keep voluntary environmental commitments which limit their ability to amass obscene profits.
TECHNOLOGY
48. According to Bill McKibben, China's electric vehicle technology has far outpaced Tesla and other US made cars. For example, China's BYD now makes electric vehicles that can recharge in five minutes, or roughly, the time it takes to fill your tank with gasoline. Says McKibben, “It s bad news for America that our country has lost its technological edge. It may be good news for the planet, though.”
ENERGY
49. With help from China, Cuba intends to add two gigawatts of solar energy to its electric grid by 2028.
50. Nicaragua has broken ground on Chinese financed solar energy plant.
51. China has added enough renewable energy generation that its CO2 emissions have fallen year on year for the first time.
52. Canada is shelling out $30 billion annually in fossil-fuel subsidies, according to DeSmog.
53. Coal is back. In 2024, for the first time, India has produced over 1 billion tons of coal annually. Coal use continues to rise in China, although it is predicted to plateau in 2028. Meanwhile, here in the United States, where coal production has fallen, Donald Trump is trying to bring back coal. Globally, coal production appears to have plateaued.
54. The Keystone Pipeline spilled another 3,500 barrels of crude oil in North Dakota. Since inception, the Keystone Pipeline has experienced a total of 28 spills, leaking over 1.2 million gallons of oil.
55. Use of energy for artificial intelligence is predicted to quadruple by 2030. This huge demand for energy has led to a revival of coal and nuclear, technologies that are dangerous and/or climate unfriendly. We may be better off investing in education and natural intelligence, which is far less energy intensive and far more reliable than artificial intelligence.
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