A new report by the Copernicus Climate Change Service has warned that the world is rapidly approaching a dangerous climate tipping point, with the 1.5°C global warming threshold likely to be breached by the end of 2030.

According to the Global Climate Highlights (GCH) report, 2025 ranked as the third hottest year on record, marking the first time a three-year period has exceeded the 1.5°C limit set under the Paris Agreement. Scientists say the pace of warming suggests the threshold could be crossed more than a decade earlier than previously projected.

The report noted that global land air temperatures in 2025 were the second warmest ever recorded, while Antarctica experienced its warmest annual temperatures on record. The rise in temperatures was largely driven by the continued accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, caused by sustained fossil fuel emissions and reduced absorption of carbon dioxide by natural carbon sinks.

The impacts of extreme weather linked to climate change were already evident at the start of 2026. Within the first two weeks of the year, wildfires swept through parts of Australia, Argentina and South Africa, while Europe faced disruptive snowstorms and Indonesia battled severe flooding.

Reacting to the findings, Savio Carvalho, Managing Director for Campaigns and Networks at climate advocacy group 350.org, said the increasing frequency of extreme weather events is already affecting everyday life around the world.

“Another year in the top three hottest on record, and communities everywhere are feeling it,” Carvalho said. “Extreme weather isn’t rare anymore—it’s driving up food prices, insurance premiums, water shortages, and upending daily life across the globe.”

Carvalho criticised governments for delaying action on climate commitments, stressing that fossil fuels remain the primary driver of global heating. He called for an urgent global phaseout of fossil fuels, noting that renewable energy technologies are already available but lack sufficient political backing.

“We already have the renewable energy solutions we need–what’s missing is the political will. We can prevent the worst if we act now,” he said.

Fenton Lutunatabua, 350.org Program Manager for the Pacific and Caribbean, warned that allowing global temperatures to rise beyond 1.5°C would have devastating consequences for vulnerable regions, particularly small island states.

“In the Pacific, climate disasters are costing us billions of dollars in recovery and rebuilding,” Lutunatabua said. “A world beyond 1.5 degrees would devastate our resources even more. The cost of this trajectory extends beyond finances, it threatens the very existence of our people.”

He noted that entire villages in Fiji are being relocated due to rising seas, while low-lying atoll nations such as Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands are confronting the prospect of forced migration. Lutunatabua stressed that every fraction of a degree avoided could make the difference between survival and displacement.

Indonesia was among the countries hardest hit by climate-fuelled disasters in 2025. More than 1,100 people were killed in Sumatra after a rare tropical cyclone triggered devastating flash floods, while at least 18 others died during Bali’s worst flooding in decades.

Some flood victims in Bali, including an organiser with 350.org, have filed a lawsuit against the Indonesian government, citing state responsibility for climate-related harms following a recent International Court of Justice ruling on climate accountability.

Suriadi Darmoko, a 350.org organiser and plaintiff in the case, said affected communities were still struggling to recover.

“Entire communities are still buried in mud. Thousands of families are still grieving and struggling to have their basic needs met,” Darmoko said. “We refuse to be treated as mere climate disaster victims. Our leaders have kept the world hooked on fossil fuels even as they knew decades ago it would lead to such tragedies.”

He urged the Indonesian government to honour its climate commitments and take immediate steps to phase out fossil fuels, adding that affected communities would continue to seek justice from major polluters.

The Copernicus GCH report, compiled using data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, assesses global air temperatures, sea surface temperatures and polar sea ice levels, and measures how current warming trends compare with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target.