Climate and environment updates: Wind and solar generated record amount of US electricity in 2025

Meteorological fall (September-November) was unseasonably warm and dry across much of the contiguous United States, ranking as the third-warmest fall on record, behind 2024 and 2016, according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Above-average temperatures were most pronounced in the Plains and western U.S., with seven states, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington each experiencing their warmest fall on record.

The Southeast recorded its driest fall since 1978 (the sixth driest on record), with Georgia receiving less than half its seasonal average rainfall. Meanwhile, much of the eastern U.S. experienced below-average precipitation, while wetter-than-average conditions prevailed in the Southwest and Plains. Furthermore, several counties in southeastern Arizona, as well as the city of Phoenix, had their wettest fall on record.

The season ended with warmer-than-average and drier-than-average conditions across much of the Lower 48, and November ranked as the fourth-warmest on record. Five states, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Utah, saw their warmest Novembers on record. Precipitation was below average across much of the eastern U.S., with South Carolina marking its lowest November rainfall since 1931 and Florida experiencing its third-driest November on record.

Widespread, persistent drier-than-average conditions in November led to the expansion and intensification of drought across parts of the country.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released on Dec. 2, about 41.4% of the contiguous U.S. is experiencing drought conditions. Although this represents a 2.3% decrease since the beginning of the month, drought has developed or intensified significantly across the Southeast, southern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley in recent weeks. In contrast, much of the western U.S. saw a reduction in both drought coverage and intensity.

For the remainder of December, above-average precipitation is favored across a large swath of the eastern U.S., from the western Gulf Coast to New England, as well as parts of the northern Rockies and northern Plains, likely bringing drought improvement or removal in some areas. In contrast, below-average precipitation is favored across the central Plains and Florida Peninsula, meaning drought conditions will likely persist or worsen through the end of the month, according to the latest forecast from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

- ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck

This year is “virtually certain” to finish as the second- or third-warmest year on record, trailing 2024 and potentially tying with 2023, according to new data analyzed by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

Last month also ranked as the third-warmest November on record globally, behind 2024 and 2023, with an average surface air temperature of 14.02 degrees Celsius (57.24 degrees Fahrenheit). Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere (September to November) similarly registered as the third warmest on record.

While global air and sea surface temperatures are currently falling short of new record highs, climate scientists warn this pause is unlikely to persist as human-caused greenhouse gas emissions continue to drive the long-term warming trend.

“These milestones are not abstract – they reflect the accelerating pace of climate change and the only way to mitigate future rising temperatures is to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate, said in a statement released with the report.

A short-term drop in global temperatures was expected due to the La Niña event, which ended in April. This climate pattern typically causes a temporary dip in average global temperatures. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), La Niña conditions have reemerged and are likely to last into early 2026.

While the planet is unlikely to set another annual temperature record in 2025, global warming continues to inch closer to the 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming limit established in the 2015 Paris Agreement, a threshold climate scientists view as critical for avoiding the worst impacts of human-amplified climate change.

For the first time, the three–year global temperature average (2023-2025) is expected to exceed this warming threshold, according to Copernicus. While 2025 itself is projected to remain below the limit, 2024 became the first year on record to register more than 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average. In addition, nine consecutive months, from August 2024 through April 2025, individually surpassed the limit.

Although this trend is concerning, it is important to note that temporarily exceeding the threshold is not considered a failure to limit warming, since climate averages are analyzed over multiple decades. However, that distinction may not hold for much longer. A report released last month by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that multi-decadal global temperature averages are likely to surpass the 1.5-degree Celsius warming threshold within the next decade, at least temporarily.

-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck

On the first day of this year's COP30 United Nations climate conference, COP30 CEO Ana Toni called it "a COP of implementation." The next day, delegates at the conference, being held this year in Belém, Brazil, learned just how well that implementation is going.

A new U.N. report found that the landmark international climate deal is making a difference, just not fast enough. The findings come ten years after most nations signed the historic Paris Agreement, which sets goals for limiting the worst impacts of climate change, including those of the United States. The Trump administration has since announced its intention to withdraw from the agreement and did not send an official delegation to the gathering.

The annual Yearbook of Global Climate Action report provides a snapshot of global climate action, highlighting both progress and the remaining gaps. It found that subnational governments, such as states and cities, local communities, and non-governmental organizations, have become a critical driver in implementing many of the Paris Agreement's goals.

"Global climate action has expanded beyond governments to become a truly collective effort, driven by cities, regions, businesses, investors, communities, and citizens everywhere," said U.N. Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell.

During his COP30 opening remarks on Monday, Stiell said, "We are now bending the curve of planet-heating emissions downwards, for the very first time.”

According to the new report, the energy industry and transport sectors have delivered some of the most notable achievements since the Paris Agreement was adopted. Renewable energy capacity has more than doubled over the past decade, creating over 16 million jobs as investment in clean energy alternatives accelerates. More than 90 percent of new renewable projects are now cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives, and in 2024, electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for 22 percent of global vehicle sales. However, fossil fuel subsidies continue to grow, totaling $1.5 trillion in 2023 and methane emissions continue to rise.

The importance of local action was a key theme on the second day of COP30, highlighting how subnational governments, local communities and organizations can continue to drive global climate progress, even when national efforts falter. Delegates focused on ways to empower localized initiatives with the potential to deliver meaningful results for both people and the planet. Discussions included strategies for turning waste into resources and implementing sustainable heating and cooling solutions at the community level.

Day two also included the announcement that Ethiopia has been named the host of COP32 in 2027, providing an opportunity to elevate Africa's climate priorities, solutions and leadership.

The host nation for next year's COP31 remains unresolved, with Australia and Turkey still contending for the role. COP30 is scheduled to conclude on Nov. 21. However, as past conferences have shown, final negotiations may extend beyond the official schedule.

"We've built the engine. Paris is working to take us forward. Now it's time to hit the accelerator, for people, prosperity, and the planet," Stiell said.

-ABC News' Dan Peck and Matthew Glasser

Ten years after nearly every nation on the planet signed the historic Paris Agreement, a new United Nations report warns that the world is on track to officially breach the agreement's 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold within the next decade, triggering an escalation of climate change impacts worldwide.

On Tuesday, the UN Environment Programme published its annual Emissions Gap Report, warning that the average global temperature rise over multiple decades is likely to exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold within the next decade, at least temporarily.

The report finds that even the most ambitious emissions cuts would only delay the onset of the overshoot, not prevent it entirely and that by the end of the century, the world is projected to face a global average temperature rise of between 2.3 and 2.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, depending on the pace and scale of mitigation efforts.

To stay on track for the Paris target, the report stated that global emissions would need to decrease by 40% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. To accomplish this, the authors are urging countries to accelerate investment in renewable energy, expedite the phaseout of fossil fuels and increase financial support for developing nations that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

"While national climate plans have delivered some progress, it is nowhere near fast enough, which is why we still need unprecedented emissions cuts in an increasingly tight window, with an increasingly challenging geopolitical backdrop," said Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP.

The report comes days before policymakers head to the annual UN Conference of Parties climate conference. This year, COP30 will take place in Belém, Brazil, the “gateway” to the Amazon rainforest, marking a decade since 195 countries adopted the Paris Agreement at COP21 in December 2015.

Delegates to COP30 are facing a world that, by many climate measures, is going in the wrong direction. Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions continue to climb, reaching record highs. In 2024, CO2 levels rose by 3.5 parts per million (ppm), the most significant annual increase since modern measurements began in 1957, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

"Proven solutions already exist. From the rapid growth in cheap renewable energy to tackling methane emissions, we know what needs to be done. Now is the time for countries to go all in and invest in their future with ambitious climate action," Andersen said.

-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck