World Meteorological Organization Report Warns that Earth's average temperature for 2025-29 is likely to exceed 1.5°C
In the next decade, we can expect not only more scorching days but also far-reaching consequences for our health, economy, and environment. The good news? We still have time to act. However, that window is closing fast.
Global temperatures are rising every year. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and explored in this Washington Post article, there’s an 80% chance that at least one year between 2025 and 2029 will break global heat records, and a 70% chance that the average warming during that time will exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Just a decade ago, the chance of such warming was only 1%.
The Paris Agreement set a goal of limiting global warming to “well below 2°C” and ideally to 1.5°C. However, current trajectories suggest the planet is heading toward 2.7°C of warming by 2100. That path would represent “unprecedented peril” for life on Earth, leading to more severe heat waves, destructive storms, and displacement due to rising sea levels.
Recent forecasts predict that we will officially breach the 1.5°C warming threshold on a sustained basis as soon as 2027. These projections are more than just numbers—they reflect a future with increasingly intense and frequent heatwaves that threaten ecosystems, infrastructure, and human lives.
Local Dangers of Extreme Heat
In our region, rising temperatures put vulnerable populations and key industries at particular risk:
Farmers face challenges to crop production and worker safety. Prolonged heat stress affects plants and reduces yields, while farmworkers are at a greater risk of heat-related illnesses.
Outdoor recreation economies, a cornerstone of many rural and mountain communities, may see declining participation due to unsafe temperatures and wildfire smoke.
Low-income communities often lack access to air conditioning or safe shelter during extreme heat, exacerbating existing inequalities.
Elderly populations are particularly vulnerable, as their bodies are less able to regulate temperature and they often live alone or without access to adequate cooling systems.
As the climate warms, these conditions will become more frequent and severe.
Adapting and Mitigating: Tools to Combat Extreme Heat
Even as we work to reduce emissions and limit global temperature rise, we must prepare for the heat that’s already here. Communities can take steps to adapt and mitigate the risks:
Accessible cooling centers ensure that those most at risk—like the elderly and low-income residents—have safe places to escape the heat.
Public education campaigns can increase awareness and preparedness around heat safety and emergency response.
Investments in clean energy, electric transportation, and energy efficiency help cut emissions and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Agricultural Adaptations
Shaded work areas
Modified planting schedules
Increase farm irrigation efficiency.
Build greater moisture-holding capacity in soils
Protect fields from damaging winds using trees or hedgerows as a wind blocks
Reduce heat stress on crops: using shade covers, planting in the shade of trees or planting in the shade of a solar array
Design landscaping for fire protection
Reduce heat stress to livestock
Use swales, terraced ponds, and other means of water retention directly in the soil
Select fruits, nuts, succulents, and herbaceous perennials that are best suited to warmer, drier climates
Keep pollinators in pace and in place with arid-adapted crop plants
Agrivoltaics
Heat is now an inevitable part of our climate reality. But how bad it gets—and how well we protect our communities—depends on what we do next.
Resources:
May 27, 2025. The Conversation.
Earth is likely to cross a key climate threshold in three years. May 29, 2025. The Washington Post.
