A new update to the widely recognised climate stripes visualisation shows that 2025 was the Earth’s third-warmest year on record, reinforcing the continued acceleration of global temperature rise.
Developed by Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading, the climate stripes use coloured bands to represent annual global temperature changes since 1850. The addition of a dark red stripe for 2025 reflects the extreme global heat recorded last year, based on data from leading international climate agencies including the UK Met Office, NASA, NOAA and the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
While 2025 was marginally cooler than the record-breaking years of 2023 and 2024, it remains part of a clear long-term warming trend. The past decade now represents the hottest period on record globally, underlining the sustained impact of rising greenhouse gas emissions.
The University of Reading has also produced updated UK and local climate stripes, showing 2025 as the UK’s warmest year on record and the second-warmest year locally in Reading. These findings draw on Met Office data and observations from the University’s Atmospheric Observatory.
The latest update highlights the growing importance of climate science and evidence-based policy in shaping responses to climate risk. For businesses and decision-makers across the Thames Valley, the findings reinforce the need to adapt to a changing climate while accelerating progress towards net zero and climate resilience.
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