Key metrics tracking the state of the global climate system. CO₂ and CH₄ concentrations are fetched automatically from NOAA — other indicators are updated annually from primary sources.
Atmosphere
Atmospheric CO₂ concentration
431.7 ppm
Updated 2026-03-29 · Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawai'i
↑ ~2.4 ppm/yr · Pre-industrial baseline: ~280 ppm
The highest atmospheric CO₂ level in at least 800 000 years. Each ppm corresponds to roughly 7.8 GtCO₂ in the atmosphere.
Source : NOAA GML – Mauna Loa weekly data
Atmosphere
Atmospheric CH₄ (Methane)
1,945.9 ppb
Updated Nov 2025 · Global monthly mean
↑ ~2× pre-industrial levels (~722 ppb in 1750)
Methane is 28–34× more potent than CO₂ over 100 years (GWP-100). Main sources: livestock, wetlands, rice agriculture, fossil fuel extraction.
Source : NOAA GML – Global CH₄ monthly mean
Temperature
Global surface temperature anomaly
+1.44 °C
Annual mean 2025 · vs 1850–1900 baseline · WMO consolidated dataset
↑ 2023–2025 are the three hottest years in the 176-year record
The 1.5 °C threshold of the Paris Agreement marks the point beyond which climate impacts intensify sharply. The three-year average for 2023–2025 sits at 1.48 °C above pre-industrial levels — already brushing that limit.
Cryosphere
Arctic sea ice extent
−12 % vs 1981–2010 avg
September minimum 2023
↓ Declining at ~13 % per decade since 1979
The loss of Arctic sea ice reduces Earth's albedo (reflectivity), amplifying warming — a feedback loop known as the ice-albedo feedback. The Arctic is warming ~4× faster than the global average.
Ocean
Global mean sea level rise rate
+4.5 mm/yr
2023–2024 rate · satellite altimetry (1993–present)
↑ Rate has more than doubled since 1993 (then ~2.1 mm/yr)
Driven by thermal expansion of seawater (~30 %) and melting of land-based ice sheets and glaciers (~60 %). Global sea levels have risen 111 mm in total since 1993. If the current trajectory holds, an additional 169 mm is expected by 2050.
Source : NASA JPL / Hamlington et al., 2024 – Nature Comms. Earth & Env.
Ocean
Ocean surface pH
8.08 pH
2023 estimate · open ocean surface
↓ −0.12 units since 1850 ≈ 30 % more acidic
Because pH is logarithmic, a drop of 0.12 corresponds to a ~30 % increase in hydrogen ion concentration. This threatens coral reefs, molluscs, and all marine organisms that build calcium carbonate shells.
Source : NOAA – Ocean Acidification Program
Emissions
Remaining carbon budget (1.5 °C, 66 %)
~200 GtCO₂
Start of 2025 estimate · Global Carbon Project
↓ ~5 years at current emission rates
The carbon budget is the maximum cumulative CO₂ that can be emitted while keeping warming below 1.5 °C with 66 % probability. At ~37 GtCO₂/yr, it will likely be exhausted around 2030 without drastic, immediate cuts to all sectors.
Emissions
Global annual fossil CO₂ emissions
37.4 GtCO₂/yr
2023 preliminary estimate
↑ Record high — up 1.1 % vs 2022
Top emitters in 2023: China (31 %), USA (14 %), EU (7 %), India (8 %). Energy accounts for ~73 % of total greenhouse gas emissions when including electricity, heat, and transport.
Forestry
Tropical primary forest loss
6.7 Mha (2024)
2024 · satellite data · Global Forest Watch / Univ. of Maryland GLAD Lab
↑ Record absolu — +80 % vs 2023, 18 football fields per minute
For the first time on record, fire — not agriculture — was the leading cause of tropical primary forest loss, accounting for ~50 % of all destruction. The 2024 figure nearly equals the size of Panama. Fire-driven loss generated 3.1 GtCO₂ emissions — comparable to India's annual fossil fuel output.
Source : WRI – Global Forest Watch & Univ. of Maryland, May 2025
Water
Population under high water stress
~4 billion people
At least one month per year · WRI Aqueduct
↑ Projected to worsen significantly under 2 °C+ warming scenarios
High water stress means that more than 40 % of available freshwater is withdrawn annually. Climate change is intensifying droughts, reducing glacial melt contributions, and disrupting seasonal rainfall patterns — putting billions of people and ecosystems at risk.
Source : WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas
Water / Cryosphere
Global glacier mass balance
−1.2 m w.e./yr
2022–2023 · metres of water equivalent · WGMS
↓ 2022–2023 was the worst two-year period on record
Glaciers are critical freshwater reservoirs — nearly 2 billion people depend on glacial meltwater for drinking water and irrigation, especially in the Himalayas, Andes, and Alps. At current rates, two-thirds of remaining glaciers could disappear by 2100 under high-emission scenarios.