Global warming has nearly doubled in pace since 2010, climate report finds

Seven of 16 climate indicators tracked are at record extremes as fossil fuel use and emissions keep rising

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published26 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Illustration: Global warming has nearly doubled in pace since 2010, climate report finds

The rate of global warming has risen from 0.19 degrees Celsius per decade between 1970 and 2010 to about 0.36 degrees per decade since, according to the seventh annual "state of the climate" report from an international coalition of scientists. The report, published in BioScience, finds that seven of the 16 climate indicators it tracks have reached record extremes, with atmospheric carbon dioxide higher than at any point in the last 2 million years.

An international coalition of climate scientists has published its seventh annual "state of the climate" report, finding that seven of the 16 climate indicators it tracks have reached record extremes and that the pace of warming is accelerating.

The report, published in BioScience, says atmospheric carbon dioxide exceeded 428 parts per million in May, higher than at any point in the last 2 million years and about 50 percent above late 18th century levels, before the Industrial Revolution. The rate of global warming has risen from 0.19 degrees Celsius per decade between 1970 and 2010 to about 0.36 degrees per decade since.

"Rapid destabilization is now a diagnosis rather than a warning for the future," said co-lead author William Ripple, an ecologist at Oregon State University's College of Forestry.

The authors include Michael Mann of the University of Pennsylvania, Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick of the Australian National University, Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Anjal Prakash of FLAME University.

Glacier thickness and Greenland ice mass have fallen to record lows, the report finds, with meltwater and the thermal expansion of seawater raising sea levels. It also warns that climate change is boosting wildfire risk, noting that global tree cover fell by 10.8 million hectares in 2025, the third-highest loss on record, and that the greenhouse gases released by fires could create a dangerous feedback loop.

Fossil fuel consumption rose 0.9 percent in 2025, with oil, coal and natural gas all reaching record highs, and annual energy-related carbon dioxide emissions exceeded 41 gigatonnes for the first time.

The report also records signs of transformation: low-carbon sources now supply about 43 percent of global electricity. Co-lead author Christopher Wolf, a data scientist at Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates, said the share of low-carbon electricity means "we may be witnessing the emergence of what we call the 'Age of Electricity,'" while noting that "fossil fuel use and emissions are still at record levels, so the transition needs to accelerate dramatically."

"Many climate solutions are already technically feasible and increasingly cost competitive," Ripple said, "but because climate change is driven by interconnected energy, economic, ecological and social systems, truly meaningful progress will likely depend on integrated responses across multiple sectors and scales."

"The accelerating expansion of renewable energy and advances in battery storage are encouraging, but they are only part of the transformation needed to stabilize the climate system," he said.

Wolf said stabilizing the climate will require "deep transformations in energy generation, consumption patterns, food systems, economic priorities, and governance structures, in ways that also promote biodiversity protection." Without them, he said, "we won't be able to stabilize the climate system and reduce the risk of crossing dangerous Earth system tipping points."

"Documenting change is no longer enough," the authors write. "We must also communicate what it means and what actions are needed. As scientists, we have a responsibility to communicate these realities with clarity and urgency."

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Analysis

Why This Matters

The warming rate has risen from 0.19 degrees Celsius per decade between 1970 and 2010 to about 0.36 degrees per decade since, meaning the pace of change documented in the report is itself accelerating.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide has passed 428 parts per million, a level unseen in at least 2 million years, while fossil fuel consumption and energy-related emissions reached record highs in 2025 rather than falling.
The report warns of a feedback loop between wildfires and emissions: fires cut global tree cover by 10.8 million hectares in 2025, and the carbon they release can worsen the warming that drives them.
What happens next depends on whether the expansion of low-carbon electricity translates into falling fossil fuel use, which the authors say requires coordinated changes across energy, food systems, economy and governance.

Background

The report is the seventh annual update in a "state of the climate" series produced by an international coalition of climate scientists. It tracks what the authors call vital signs of the Earth system, such as carbon dioxide concentrations, glacier mass and sea level, alongside human activities such as fossil fuel consumption. The authors say the series aims not only to document change but to communicate what it means and what actions are needed. Global temperatures have risen over more than a century of greenhouse gas emissions, and the new findings add to a body of research indicating that the pace of change is accelerating.

Key Perspectives

William Ripple (Oregon State University): says "rapid destabilization is now a diagnosis rather than a warning for the future," and that renewable energy and battery storage advances are encouraging but only part of the transformation needed to stabilize the climate. Christopher Wolf (Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates): says low-carbon sources now providing about 43 percent of global electricity may mark the emergence of an "Age of Electricity," but that fossil fuel use and emissions are still at record levels and the transition needs to accelerate dramatically. The report's authors: write that "documenting change is no longer enough," and that stabilizing the climate depends on deep cuts in emissions, adaptation and ecosystem protection across multiple sectors and scales.

What to Watch

Whether next year's report shows the warming rate continuing to accelerate or beginning to level off.
Whether growth in low-carbon electricity starts to reduce fossil fuel consumption, which set records in 2025.
Whether wildfire-driven tree cover loss stays near record levels and strengthens the feedback loop the report describes.

Sources

Global Warming Has Nearly Doubled in Speed Since 2010, Major Report Finds · ScienceAlert

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedThe rate of global warming has nearly doubled since 2010.ScienceAlert: “Meanwhile, the rate of global warming appears to be speeding up, too, having risen from 0.19 degrees Celsius per decade between 1970 and 2010 to about 0.36 °C per decade since.”
SupportedSeven of the 16 climate indicators tracked have reached record extremes.ScienceAlert: “Of 16 climate indicators the coalition tracks, seven have reached record extremes, the report finds, while several others also show troubling trends.”
SupportedFossil fuel use and emissions keep rising.ScienceAlert: “Fossil fuel consumption increased by 0.9 percent in 2025, the authors report, with oil, coal, and natural gas all reaching record highs. Annual energy-related CO 2 emissions also exceeded 41 gigatonnes for the first time, they note.”
SupportedThe report says atmospheric carbon dioxide exceeded 428 parts per million in May, higher than at any point in the last 2 million years.ScienceAlert: “The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, for example, exceeded 428 parts per million in May – higher than at any point in the last 2 million years.”
SupportedRipple said, “Rapid destabilization is now a diagnosis rather than a warning for the future.”ScienceAlert: ““Rapid destabilization is now a diagnosis rather than a warning for the future,” says co-lead author William Ripple, an ecologist at the Oregon State University College of Forestry.”
SupportedWolf said low-carbon electricity may signal the emergence of the “Age of Electricity.”ScienceAlert: ““With low-carbon sources now providing about 43 percent of global electricity, we may be witnessing the emergence of what we call the ‘Age of Electricity,’” says co-lead author Christopher Wolf, a data scientist at Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates.”
SupportedWolf said fossil fuel use and emissions remain at record levels and the transition needs to accelerate dramatically.ScienceAlert: ““That is a reason for hope, but fossil fuel use and emissions are still at record levels, so the transition needs to accelerate dramatically.””
SupportedRipple said many climate solutions are technically feasible and increasingly cost competitive, but meaningful progress likely depends on integrated responses across sectors and scales.ScienceAlert: ““Many climate solutions are already technically feasible and increasingly cost competitive, but because climate change is driven by interconnected energy, economic, ecological and social systems, truly meaningful progress will likely depend on integrated responses across multiple sectors and scales,” Ripple says.”
SupportedRipple said renewable energy expansion and battery-storage advances are encouraging but only part of the transformation needed to stabilize the climate system.ScienceAlert: ““The accelerating expansion of renewable energy and advances in battery storage are encouraging, but they are only part of the transformation needed to stabilize the climate system,” Ripple says.”
SupportedWolf said stabilizing the climate requires deep transformations in energy, consumption, food systems, economic priorities and governance that also promote biodiversity protection.ScienceAlert: ““Achieving the necessary emissions reductions and societal shifts at the speed and scale required depends on deep transformations in energy generation, consumption patterns, food systems, economic priorities, and governance structures, in ways that also promote biodiversity protection,” Wolf says.”
SupportedWolf said, “Without them, we won't be able to stabilize the climate system and reduce the risk of crossing dangerous Earth system tipping points.”ScienceAlert: ““Without those transformations, we won’t be able to stabilize the climate system and reduce the risk of crossing dangerous Earth system tipping points.””
SupportedThe authors wrote, “Documenting change is no longer enough,” and called for communicating what it means, what actions are needed, and scientific realities with clarity and urgency.ScienceAlert: ““Documenting change is no longer enough,” they write. “We must also communicate what it means and what actions are needed. As scientists, we have a responsibility to communicate these realities with clarity and urgency.””