Fossil fuel phaseout critical as 1.5°C target nears

A new report by the Copernicus Climate Change Service shows that 2025 was the third hottest year on record, marking the first time that a three-year period has exceeded the 1.5°C limit. Experts warn that based on the current rate of warming, the 1.5°C heating threshold will likely be breached by the end of 2030, or over a decade earlier than predicted. The report notes that air temperature over global land areas was second warmest, while the Antarctic saw its warmest annual temperature on record. Temperature rise in 2025 was mainly due to “the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, from continued emissions and reduced uptake of carbon dioxide by natural sinks”–underscoring the urgent need for a fossil fuel phaseout. Just two weeks into 2026, wildfires ravaged parts of Australia and Argentina, and South Africa, a snowstorm brought disruption in Europe, and floodwaters inundated Indonesia. Savio Carvalho, 350.org Managing Director for Campaigns and Networks, said: “Another yea