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NASA has sparked concern after releasing a statement alongside its latest benchmark annual report on global temperatures, which notably omits one key word.
The release, which was published yesterday (14 January), confirms that global surface temperatures in 2025 were marginally warmer than 2023, following estimates that the two would become the joint-second-hottest years on record. However, NASA’s statement includes no mention of climate change, emissions, fossil fuels, or the term ‘global warming’.
Multiple other reports, including Europe’s Copernicus Climate Services, have blamed the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, from rising emissions and reduced uptake of CO2 by natural sinks like forests, as the main driver behind 2025 and 2023 being exceptionally warm.
NASA’s rising temperatures report
“Earth’s global surface temperature in 2025 was slightly warmer than 2023 – but within the margin of error the two years are effectively tied according to an analysis by NASA scientists,” NASA says in the statement. “Since record-keeping began in 1880, the hottest year on record remains 2024.”
The release also cites independent analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which concludes that the global surface temperature for 2025 was the third warmest on record.
“These scientists use much of the same temperature data in their analyses but employ different methodologies and models, which exhibit the same ongoing warming trend,” NASA adds.
The comments are a stark contrast compared to last year’s communications, issued under the Biden administration, where NASA explicitly said: “This global warming has been caused by human activities”.
NASA, which is an independent agency of the US federal government, previously linked increased temperatures to extreme weather events such as heat waves, wildfires, “intense” rainfall and flooding. None of this was included this year.
Is Trump to blame?
Mike Scott of Carbon Copy Communications, which specialises in explaining sustainability, the environment, investment and business, tells Euronews Green that NASA’s statement is “consistent” with all of the other “anti-climate actions” the Trump administration has taken in the last year.
Last month, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scrubbed all mention of fossil fuels – the main driver of global warming – from its popular online page explaining the causes of climate change.
“It’s not clear what climate institutions are left for Trump to try and dismantle, but there is little doubt that if he finds them, he will go after them,” Scott says.
“The climate denial is really worrying and out of line with almost every other country in the world, including most of the world’s largest oil producers. Failing to acknowledge the impacts of climate change will leave the US less able to deal with those impacts – which will continue to happen whatever Trump thinks.”
Scott argues this highlights the potential loss of future data on climate change, which is essential to help guide nations and their economies on how to adapt.
“The US stance is bad for science, it’s bad for the US economy and its citizens, and it’s bad for the climate,” he adds.
“It’s also unsustainable. Climate change will not stop because the US administration doesn’t believe in it. The American response to climate-related disasters will be worse if it doesn’t understand why extreme weather events and other climate impacts are happening.”
A NASA spokesperson tells Euronews Green: “The press release and publicly available data provide the official agency analysis.”