The Planet Is Getting Hotter
The Earth is warming up, and it’s happening fast. Over the last 12 months, the planet’s average temperature was 1.58°C higher than it was in the 1800s, before factories and cars started filling the air with gases that trap heat. Scientists call that time the “pre-industrial era,” and they use it to measure how much the Earth is heating up. This 1.58°C rise is a big deal because it’s above the 1.5°C limit that many countries agreed to aim for in a plan called the Paris Agreement. That limit is supposed to be measured over many years, but the temperature has been above 1.5°C for 21 of the last 22 months. That means the Earth is getting hotter and staying hot.
In April, the global average temperature reached 14.96°C. That’s almost as warm as the hottest April ever, which was in 2024. These numbers aren’t just facts on a page—they show that the world is changing in ways we can see and feel. From scorching summers to melting ice, the heat is affecting everything.
Wild Weather Is Everywhere
As the Earth gets warmer, the weather is acting strange and sometimes scary. Last month, many places around the world got way more rain than usual. Places like the Alps in Europe, parts of the U.S. Midwest, northern Australia, and central South America were soaked with heavy rain. This caused floods that damaged homes, landslides that blocked roads, and even avalanches that put people in danger. Too much water in these areas made life really hard for a lot of people.
At the same time, some places were much hotter than they should be. Temperatures in portions of Russia, Kazakhstan, Norway, and Eastern Europe were abnormally high. So did sections of Australia and west-central Asia. In addition to making you perspire, this type of heat can destroy crops that humans depend on for sustenance, melt glaciers that supply water, and increase the likelihood of wildfires. These issues become increasingly apparent as the temperature rises.
Scientists thought a weather pattern called La Niña might cool things down a bit. Similar to a natural air conditioner, La Niña has the ability to temporarily reduce Earth’s temperature. However, La Niña did not persist this time. It stopped quickly, and the Pacific Ocean went back to normal, leaving the planet just as warm as before.
Greenhouse Gases Are the Problem
The main reason the Earth is heating up is because of gases in the air that trap heat, like a blanket around the planet. These are called greenhouse gases, and the most common ones are carbon dioxide and methane. They come from things like burning coal, oil, and gas to make electricity, run cars, or heat homes. Every time we use these fuels, more gases go into the air, making the planet warmer.
Methane is a big problem right now because its levels in the air are almost as high as they’ve ever been. Methane is super strong—it traps a lot more heat than carbon dioxide, even though it doesn’t stay in the air as long. A lot of this methane is coming from making natural gas, which is used to power homes and businesses. The more methane in the air, the hotter the Earth gets.
Birds Battle Harsh Weather Shifts
Countries are trying to work together to cut down on these gases, but it’s not easy. Many places are dealing with other problems, like money troubles or disagreements between nations. These issues make it harder to focus on stopping the heat-trapping gases. A leader from the United Nations said that if things don’t change, the Earth could get 3°C warmer. That’s double the Paris Agreement’s safer limit. Without that agreement, the world might have been headed toward a 5°C rise, which would have been even worse.
The Earth’s rising temperature is a problem we can’t ignore. From hotter days to wilder weather and more greenhouse gases, the planet is feeling the heat, and so are we.
