The world is currently at a critical juncture where the theoretical warnings of scientists are becoming everyday reality. Recent years have brought unprecedented temperature records and clear signals that the window of opportunity for securing a sustainable future is rapidly closing in.

Current status: Record-breaking years

According to the latest data, the year 2025 recorded as the third warmest year in the history of measurements, narrowly lagging behind 2024 and 2023. The entire three-year period 2023-2025 exceeded the warming threshold by an average of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.

• Greenhouse gases: Concentrations of CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide reached record levels in 2024 and continued to rise in 2025.
• Oceans trapped in heat: Ocean heat content reached its highest level on record in 2024, leading to more intense storms and accelerated sea level rise.
• Cryosphere collapse: The world's glaciers lost record amounts in the hydrological year 2023/2024 1.3 meters of water equivalent ice.

Global Outlook: The World at 3°C Warming

Although the Paris Agreement aims to keep warming below 1.5°C, current policies are leading us towards a temperature increase of almost 3°C by the end of the century. The difference between these two scenarios is fundamental for cities and society:

• Heat waves: At 3°C warming, many cities could face month-long heat waves, which would cripple the economy and endanger the health of millions of people.
• Health risks: The incidence of insect-borne diseases such as dengue fever and the Zika virus would increase significantly, especially in low-income areas.
• Lack of food and water: Yields of corn and other crops could drop by up to half, while hundreds of millions of people would be exposed to flooding from rising sea levels.

Slovakia: Climate change is no longer „somewhere else“

Slovakia is feeling the impacts of warming faster than the global average. The average annual temperature in our country increased by approximately 1.7°C.

1. Extreme heat: More than 16% of the Slovak population lives in districts with a high risk of heat, especially in Bratislava and the southern districts.
2. Agriculture and drought: Drying soil is reducing yields and threatening the agricultural sector, with summers like 2015 becoming the „new normal“ by around 2030.
3. Floods: Intense rainfall is increasingly likely; studies have confirmed that floods in Central Europe in 2024 were at least as severe as a result of global warming twice as likely.
4. Economic damage: The decline in winter tourism due to a lack of snow and the increasing costs of insurance and infrastructure restoration after disasters are burdening the state budget.

Solutions and urgency of action

Experts emphasize that every tenth of a degree of warming is of enormous importance for socioeconomic impacts and alleviation of human suffering.

• Energy transformation: A rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources and increasing energy efficiency are essential.
• Adaptation: Cities must invest in green and blue infrastructure (parks, wetlands, vegetated roofs) that naturally cool the environment and retain water.
• Funding: If climate goals are to be achieved, investments in mitigation and adaptation must be multiplied, especially in developing countries.

The climate crisis is a reality today. Our decisions about emissions and investments today will determine whether we live in a livable world or face irreversible collapse of key ecosystems and societal chaos. JRi&CO2AI