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

The Arctic, often seen as a remote landscape of ice and snow, plays a central role in regulating the planet's climate. But it's now experiencing significant changes with cascading impacts felt across the globe.

According to a new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Arctic recently experienced its warmest year on record, fueling melting glaciers, shrinking sea ice and shifts in local ecosystems. The region is warming much faster than the global average, meaning these impacts are expected to escalate rapidly in the coming decades, with consequences that reach far beyond the region itself.

NOAA's annual Arctic Report Card highlights that the region's warmest years on record have occurred within the past decade, with 2025 reaching a new all-time high. Annual air temperatures in the Arctic are measured using the water year, October through September, which accounts for the hydrologic cycle and avoids splitting the cold season.

Over the past two decades, Arctic air temperatures during autumn and winter have risen more than twice as fast as the global average. Globally, 2025 is on track to rank as the second or third warmest year on record, according to the latest data analyzed by NOAA.

"This Arctic Report Card highlights how, despite the vast distances, components of the Arctic system are both closely connected and rapidly changing," said Matthew Druckenmiller, a senior scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences and the National Snow and Ice Data Center and lead editor of the report.

The persistent warming trend has contributed to declining snow cover and a shortening snow season. While the past winter season brought above-average peak seasonal snowpack to both the North American and Eurasian Arctic, overall Arctic snow melt is occurring one to two weeks earlier than historical averages. June snow cover extent over the Arctic has declined by about 50 percent on average since 1967 and last winter brought the shortest snow season on record (since 1998) for portions of Arctic Canada, according to the report.

Arctic sea ice extent remained near record lows throughout the past winter season, resulting in the lowest annual maximum sea ice extent on record (since 1979) in March 2025.

Ongoing glacier loss is driving steadily rising global sea levels, putting Arctic communities' water supplies at risk, fueling destructive floods, and increasing landslide and tsunami hazards that threaten people, infrastructure, and coastlines, according to NOAA.

Loss of snow and ice cover reduces the Arctic's ability to reflect incoming sunlight, disrupting Earth's energy balance.

"The loss of reflective snow surfaces in June, when incoming solar energy reaches its annual peak, results in more heat absorbed at the surface, contributing as a feedback to Arctic warming," said Gerald (J.J.) Frost, a senior scientist with Alaska Biological Research, Inc. and veteran Arctic Report Card author.

Reduced snow cover not only promotes further warming but also increases the wildfire threat in the region. These compounding factors create a self-reinforcing cycle that amplifies global warming and makes it increasingly difficult to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

For thousands of years, the vast Arctic tundra has acted as an essential carbon sink, removing heat-trapping greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. However, NOAA's 2024 Arctic Report Card revealed a startling shift, showing that rapidly warming conditions and rising wildfire activity are turning the region into a source of carbon dioxide emissions.

This year's Report Card documents another troubling and striking change in the Arctic, rusting rivers. In Arctic Alaska, iron and other elements released by thawing permafrost have turned more than 200 pristine rivers and streams orange over the past decade, a significant increase from the previous year's findings. The report found that these rusting rivers degrade water quality, increasing acidity and toxic trace metal concentrations.

"The orange color in these streams comes specifically from oxidized iron, but in addition to iron, we're seeing elevated acidity and toxic metal concentrations like zinc, copper, and aluminum," said Abagael Pruitt, researcher at the University of California, Davis and co-author of the report. "As the Arctic continues to warm, this phenomenon is expected to continue, with significant consequences for water quality, aquatic biodiversity, and the communities that rely on these streams.”

-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck

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