The storm brought heavy downpours and strong winds, reaching speeds of up to 178 kmh (110 mph), on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.

The fifth victim, whose death was announced on Thursday, was a 34-year-old man who died in the centre of the country "as a result of the severe weather," according to civil protection officials, who did not provide details.

Almost 450,000 customers were still without power early Thursday, mainly in the centre of the country, according to E-redes, the electricity distribution network operator.

The majority were in the Leiria district in central Portugal where the storm knocking down poles and high-voltage lines.

Rail services remained suspended on several lines, including Lisbon to Porto, according to the state-owned rail company.

Several schools in the central part of the country remained closed.

Firefighters in Leiria responded to dozens of calls Thursday morning related to minor flooding and damage to roofs, regional official Ricardo Costa told the Lusa news agency.

"Residents are calling for help because it's still raining, although not very heavily, but it's causing significant damage to homes," he added.

The Portuguese government said the storm had "caused significant damage across several parts of the country."

]]> Sat, 07 FEB 2026 10:20:55 AEST Lisbon (AFP) Feb 1, 2026 - Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on Sunday pledged 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) to support recovery efforts after Storm Kristin swept across Portugal last week, killing five people and causing widespread damage.

He also extended a state of calamity -- one level below a state of emergency -- in the hardest-hit areas until February 8 as the country braces for more heavy rainfall.

The measure, first imposed on Thursday, gives authorities the power to enforce safety measures and coordinate emergency responses. It was due to expire on Sunday.

"Some areas will face more serious situations, which may even require evacuation," Montenegro said at a news conference following an emergency cabinet meeting, warning that "the ground is saturated".

The national weather agency, IPMA, has placed all of mainland Portugal on alert until Monday for heavy rain and winds of up to 100 kilometres (60 miles) per hour, with rainy conditions expected throughout the week.

"Current weather predictions are very severe and could cause major damage," national civil protection commander Mario Silvestre said.

"The soil can no longer retain water, so all the rain will run off into the basin areas. It is not a question of if, but when, and how severe it will be."

Portugal's civil protection agency has sent text alerts to mobile phones across large parts of the country warning of flood risks.

Storm Kristin's hurricane-force winds struck central and northern Portugal overnight on Tuesday, causing flooding, landslides, and damage to buildings and infrastructure.

As part of the aid package, Montenegro announced a 90-day moratorium on mortgages and other loans for residents in affected areas and earmarked 400 million euros for urgent road and railway repairs.

"We are mobilising all resources across the public, social, and private sectors to ensure that everything is fully restored as quickly as possible," the prime minister said.

Some 167,000 customers remained without power on Sunday, mainly in central Portugal -- down from over one million immediately after the storm, according to power company E-Redes.

The company's president, Jose Careto, said he could not specify when power would be fully restored, warning against creating "false expectations".

A 73-year-old man died near Leiria on Sunday after carbon monoxide poisoning from a backup generator. Two other men died on Saturday in separate falls while repairing roofs damaged by the storm.

Leiria city councillor Luis Lopes, responsible for civil protection, urged residents to take care while carrying out home repairs and to keep generators "outside in ventilated areas to stay safe".

]]> Sat, 07 FEB 2026 10:20:55 AEST Kinshasa (AFP) Feb 1, 2026 - The Democratic Republic of Congo's government said on Sunday it feared "at least 200 dead" in a "massive" landslide that struck a militia-held mine in the country's east.

Since its resurgence in 2021, the M23 armed group has seized vast tracts of the DRC's resource-rich east, capturing the Rubaya mine in North Kivu province in April 2024 with Rwanda's help.

The mine produces 15 to 30 percent of the world's supply of coltan, a key component in the production of electronics such as laptops and mobile phones.

Thousands of artisanal miners work daily in precarious conditions in Rubaya's pits, most equipped with simple shovels and rubber boots.

A "massive landslide likely left at least 200 dead", the country's communications ministry said in a statement to AFP on Sunday, expressing its "deep dismay" over the tragedy.

According to information obtained by AFP, part of a hillside in the mine collapsed on Wednesday afternoon. A second landslide struck on Thursday morning.

Rubaya sits on steep hillsides carved by deep ravines with dirt roads, often impassable during the rainy season, winding between unstable slopes.

The M23?appointed governor of North Kivu, Eraston Bahati Musanga, who visited Rubaya on Friday, told AFP there were "at least 200 deaths".

He said bodies had been recovered from the debris, without giving an exact number.

AFP was unable to independently verify a toll.

Phone networks have been down for several days there, and Congolese authorities and civil society groups fled the area when the M23 arrived.

Information is arriving "in dribs and drabs from motorbike couriers circulating the region", making it difficult to establish an accurate toll, a humanitarian source told AFP.

Injured survivors have been taken to local health centres that have limited resources, another humanitarian source said.

Writing on X, Belgium's embassy in Kinshasa expressed its "solidarity after the tragic landslides".

- Organised 'looting' -

Resource-rich eastern DRC, which borders Rwanda as well as Burundi, has been beset by 30 years of continual violence.

According to United Nations experts, the M23 has set up an administration parallel to the Congolese state to regulate the operation of the Rubaya mine since its capture.

Experts estimate that the M23 makes around $800,000 a month from the mine thanks to a $7-per-kilogram tax on the production and sale of coltan.

UN experts also accuse Rwanda -- which denies providing the M23 with military support -- of using the militia to syphon off the DRC's mineral riches.

Kinshasa on Sunday urged "the international community to fully grasp the scale of this tragedy" which it blamed on "armed occupation and an organised system of looting" by the Rwanda-backed militia.

The government noted "all mining and commercial activity" had been banned in Rubaya as of February 2025, but between 112 and 125 tonnes are extracted each month and sent "exclusively to Rwanda".

Death toll from Indonesia landslide rises to 53
Jakarta (AFP) Jan 31, 2026 - The death toll from a landslide on Indonesia's main island of Java a week ago rose to 53 on Saturday, a rescue official said, with 10 people still missing.

An intense downpour triggered the landslide that hit Pasirlangu village, in an area southeast of the capital Jakarta, damaging more than 50 houses and displacing about 650 people.

Thousands of rescuers, helped by the military, police and volunteers, have been digging through the mud searching for victims.

They had recovered and identified 53 bodies by Saturday, said Ade Dian Permana, the head of the local search and rescue agency, up from a previous toll of 44.

At least 10 people are still missing, he said, but clearer weather was helping the search.

The Indonesian navy has said that 23 personnel, who were training in the area, were among those caught in the landslide.

The search and rescue operation in the West Bandung region has been extended until Friday.

The government has pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.

Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, and their absence makes areas more prone to landslides.

Such disasters are common across the vast Indonesian archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.

Torrential rain also battered Indonesia's Siau island this month, causing a flash flood that killed at least 16 people.

]]> Sat, 07 FEB 2026 10:20:55 AEST Bandung, Indonesia (AFP) Jan 30, 2026 - The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia rose to 44, authorities said Friday, extending recovery efforts by a week to search for those still missing.

Heavy rain triggered the landslide that barrelled through Pasirlangu village on Saturday, wrecking dozens of houses and displacing hundreds in the area southeast of the capital Jakarta.

Thousands of rescuers have been digging through mud manually and with heavy equipment, helped by the military, police and volunteers.

So far 44 bodies have been recovered and identified, said the head of the national search and rescue agency, Mohammad Syafii.

He said that at least 20 more people were missing, adding that bad weather had hindered the search.

"The area is experiencing light to moderate rain accompanied by a light fog so there is limited visibility," Syafii said.

The nearly week-long search and rescue operation in Java's West Bandung region has been extended until February 6, he added.

The navy said on Monday that 23 troops, who were training in the area ahead of a deployment to Indonesia's border with Papua New Guinea, were among those caught in the landslide.

The disaster seriously damaged more than 50 houses and displaced more than 650 people, according to local authorities.

Provincial governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed the landslide on the sprawling plantations around Pasirlangu, which are mostly used to grow vegetables.

"What used to be forested areas and mountains have all become farmland," he said during a visit to the affected area this week.

The government has pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.

Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, and their absence makes areas more prone to landslides.

Such disasters are common across the vast Indonesian archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.

]]> Sat, 07 FEB 2026 10:20:55 AEST Lisbon Jan 28, 2026 - Storm Kristin killed at least four people overnight as it barrelled through central and northern Portugal, authorities said Wednesday. It cut power to more than 850,000 homes as it swept across the country, tearing up trees and causing widespread damage. Many roads, including the main highway linking Lisbon to the country's north, and train lines were blocked by trees and debris. One person died in the Lisbon region after their car was struck by a falling tree. Three more were killed in the central district of Leiria. Heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 150 kilometres (95 miles) per hour sparked more than 3,000 weather-related incidents, according to civil protection authorities. Portugal's government called the storm an "extreme climatic event". Authorities said electricity was gradually being restored to affected zones. The Iberian country has been hit by a number of storms in recent days. One at the weekend killed a man as his car was swept away by flash floods. Indonesia landslide death toll rises to 38, dozens missing
Jakarta (AFP) Jan 28, 2026 - The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia climbed to 38 with dozens still missing, authorities said on Wednesday, days after a torrent of debris crashed through a mountain village.

Heavy rain triggered the landslide that barrelled through Pasirlangu on Saturday, wrecking dozens of homes and displacing hundreds.

A total of 38 victims had been identified by 6:30 pm (1130 GMT) on Wednesday, Ade Dian Permana, head of the Bandung Search and Rescue Agency, said in a statement.

The number of people still missing was revised down to 27, he said, from an earlier tally of 32.

Rescuers have been scouring the unstable area in Java island's West Bandung region by hand and using heavy equipment.

But they are treading carefully for fear of more landslides due to severe weather.

The navy said on Monday that 23 troops, who were training in the area ahead of a deployment to Indonesia's border with Papua New Guinea, were among those caught in the landslide.

The disaster seriously damaged more than 50 houses and displaced more than 650 people, according to local authorities.

West Java's governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed the landslide on the sprawling plantations around Pasirlangu, which is mostly used to grow vegetables, and pledged to relocate affected residents.

The government has pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.

Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, and their absence makes areas more prone to landslides.

Such disasters are common across the vast Indonesian archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.

Fear in Sicilian town as vast landslide risks widening
Niscemi, Italy (AFP) Jan 28, 2026 - Gaetano Ferrera had just a few minutes to grab belongings from his home, one of hundreds evacuated after a landslide in Sicily that experts warn could worsen due to heavy rainfall.

"Being left without anything is bad, it's bad. I've been here ever since I was a child," said Ferrera, visibly emotional as he locked the door behind him.

Ferrera and his family, including two 16-year-old daughters and elderly parents, have no idea whether they will ever be able to return.

The house sits in an area of Niscemi declared a "red zone" -- and therefore off limits -- after a four-kilometre (2.5-mile) long stretch of the hillside collapsed on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of some 1,500 people.

The town, built on unstable terrain, was battered by a powerful storm which hit southern Italy last week.

Though there were no deaths or injuries, experts say the gulf could extend -- and topple more houses -- when it rains again.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Wednesday, flying by helicopter over the gashed hillside and deep fissures in fields below.

She promised quick help, pointing to long delays in compensation from a previous large landslide in the same town in 1997.

Speaking to local officials after visiting the site, she said it still remained to be seen how many people would be "permanently displaced because the landslide is still moving".

- Landslide still active -

"We need to wait for the rains to stop and for the soil moisture to decrease", Luigi D'Angelo, the Civil Protection Agency's head of emergency management, told AFP.

He said "heavy rain" was forecast in the coming days.

Rubble from a few homes destroyed by the landslide could be seen at the bottom of the cliff, "and there's a risk that another 20 metres or so could fall, impacting other homes", he said.

The agency is using drones to monitor the red zone and satellite images to assess the speed of the landslide.

As locals watched a darkening sky, police patrolled streets empty of all but stray cats, while emergency services stood on standby on the edge of the red zone.

Niscemi, home to some 25,000 people and built on sandstone and clay, suffered a landslide in the same area nearly 30 years ago, and residents said this week's disaster had been long in the making.

Geologist Giuseppe Amato, head of water resources in Sicily for Legambiente, told AFP the landslide should serve as a warning as climate change leads to increasing weather extremes.

"Niscemi is another alarm bell... we must respond by changing our habits" and "choosing not to build in certain ways and in certain places".

"In 2025 alone, Sicily has been hit by 48 exceptional weather events", from wind and rain to extreme heat, showing the Mediterranean island is "a hot spot for climate change in all respects", he said.

According to Italy's Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), over one million Italians live in areas classed as "high or very high risk" for landslides.

- 'Land simply dropped away' -

Rosario Cona, 45, a farmhand, told AFP that on Sunday "the land simply dropped away".

"We watch houses falling, this is normality for us," he said.

Unlike 29 years ago, though, "we have to take responsibility", he said. "The time for sleepwalking is over."

As a mobile kitchen readied hot meals for evacuees, Cona said Niscemi's future was uncertain -- but he for one would never leave.

His family may not return to their home, just one row back from the cliff edge, but Cona said he would build a new one if necessary.

"I was born here, and I will die here", he said.

]]> Sat, 07 FEB 2026 10:20:55 AEST Paris, France (AFP) Jan 26, 2026 - Nearly 3.8 billion people could face extreme heat by 2050 and while tropical countries will bear the brunt cooler regions will also need to adapt, scientists said Monday.

Demand for cooling will "drastically" increase in giant countries like Brazil, Indonesia and Nigeria, where hundreds of millions of people lack air conditioning or other means of beating the heat.

But even a moderate increase in hotter days could have a "severe impact" in nations not used to such conditions like Canada, Russia and Finland, said scientists from the University of Oxford.

In a new study, they looked at different global warming scenarios to project how often people in future might experience temperatures considered uncomfortably hot or cold.

They found "that the population experiencing extreme heat conditions is projected to nearly double" by 2050 if global average temperatures rise 2C above preindustrial times.

But most of the impact would be felt this decade as the world fast approaches the 1.5C mark, the study's lead author Jesus Lizana told AFP.

"The key take away from this is that the need for adaptation to extreme heat is more urgent than previously known," said Lizana, an environmental scientist.

"New infrastructure, such as sustainable air conditioning or passive cooling, needs to be built out within the next few years to ensure people can cope with dangerous heat."

Prolonged exposure to extreme heat can overwhelm the body's natural cooling systems, causing symptoms ranging from dizziness and headaches to organ failure and death.

It is often called a silent killer because most heat deaths occur gradually as high temperatures and other environmental factors work together to undermine the body's internal thermostat.

Climate change is making heatwaves longer and stronger and access to cooling -- especially air conditioning -- will be vital in future.

- 'Dangerously underprepared' -

The study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, projected that 3.79 billion people worldwide could be exposed to extreme heat by mid century.

This would "drastically" increase energy demand for cooling in developing nations where the gravest health consequences would be felt. India, the Philippines and Bangladesh would be among biggest populations impacted.

The most significant change in "cooling degree days" -- temperatures hot enough to require cooling, such as air conditioning or fans -- were projected in tropical or equatorial countries, particularly in Africa.

Central African Republic, Nigeria, South Sudan, Laos and Brazil saw the biggest rise in dangerously hot temperatures.

"Put simply, the most disadvantaged people are the ones who will bare the brunt of this trend our study shows for ever hotter days," urban climate scientist and research co-author Radhika Khosla told AFP.

But wealthier countries in traditionally cooler climates also "face a major a problem -- even if many do not realise it yet", she added.

Countries like Canada, Russia and Finland may experience steep drops in "heating degree days" -- temperatures low enough to require indoor heating -- under a 2C scenario.

But even a moderate rise in hotter temperatures would be felt more acutely in countries not designed to withstand heat, the authors said.

In these countries, homes and buildings are usually constructed to maximise sunshine and reduce ventilation, and public transport runs without air conditioning.

Some cold-climate nations may see a drop in heating bills, Lizana said, but over time these savings would likely be replaced by cooling costs, including in Europe where air conditioning is still rare.

"Wealthier countries cannot sit back and assume they will be OK -- in many cases they are dangerously underprepared for the heat that is coming over the next few years," he said.

]]> Sat, 07 FEB 2026 10:20:55 AEST Rome (AFP) Jan 26, 2026 - More than 1,000 people were evacuated in Sicily after a four-kilometre (2.5-mile) section of cliff crumbled during a storm, leaving houses perched perilously on the edge, authorities said Monday.

Land was continuing to give way due to rain that has soaked the area in recent days, said the mayor of the southern hill town of Niscemi.

No deaths or injuries have been reported following the landslide, which took place on Sunday.

"The situation continues to worsen because further collapses have been recorded," mayor Massimiliano Conti told local news on Monday.

Footage taken on Monday by the Local Team video agency showed a narrow vertical section of cliff falling away, causing a building that had already been ripped apart to further collapse.

The front end of a car was visible next to it, its two tyres suspended in the air over the edge of the cliff.

The landslide covered the road below leading into town.

Conti said local authorities were working with police, fire and civil protection units to assess the next steps, including the resumption of school, which was cancelled on Monday.

"The situation is dire," said the mayor.

Italy's civil protection unit said all residents in a four-kilometre radius of the landslide had been evacuated.

Niscemi, which has a population of more than 27,000 people, is located about 28 kilometres inland from the southern coastal city of Gela.

Coastal areas of Sicily were hit last week by Storm Harry, damaging seaside roads and residences.

On Monday, the region's president, Renato Schifani, estimated the cost of the damage, including that from the Niscemi landslide, at more than 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion).

Italy declared a state of emergency for the southern regions of Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria on Monday.

During a cabinet meeting, the government decided to allocate 100 million euros for the "first urgent interventions," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on social media.

Indonesia landslide death toll rises to 17, dozens missing
Cisarua, Indonesia (AFP) Jan 26, 2026 - The death toll in a massive Indonesian landslide rose to 17 on Monday as rescuers used heavy equipment to search for dozens still missing days after heavy rain unleashed a torrent of mud.

People gathered near the site in Java's West Bandung region, desperately awaiting news of their loved ones as rescuers, who fear another landslide, scoured the unstable area.

The flow of soil and debris barrelled through the village of Pasirlangu early on Saturday, burying residential areas and forcing dozens to evacuate their homes.

"It's impossible that they are still alive. I just want their bodies to be found," said Aep Saepudin, who has been coming to the village daily for updates about his 11 family members, including his sister, who are missing.

"My heart aches. I feel so sad seeing my older sister like that (buried by the landslide)," he told AFP.

Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the national disaster agency, confirmed on Monday that at least 17 people were killed.

The number of people missing was later revised down to around 46 from an earlier figure of 73, local search and rescue head Ade Dian Permana told a news conference.

"This is based on the report from the village head," Ade said.

He also said rescuers had handed over nine body bags to authorities for identification.

Indonesia's military said on Monday that four Marines were among those confirmed dead and 19 remained missing.

The Marines had been training before a deployment to Indonesia's border with Papua New Guinea, the navy's chief of staff Muhammad Ali told local media.

More than 50 houses were severely damaged by the landslide, which also displaced more than 650 people, according to the local disaster agency.

Dozens of rescuers were searching at the foot of Mount Burangrang under dark rain clouds on Monday, an AFP reporter saw.

They dug manually and used heavy equipment, but said they had to tread carefully for fear of another landslide due to the unstable ground and bad weather.

"What we worry about most is the risk of subsequent (landslides). Sometimes when we're in the operation, we aren't focusing on the slopes that still have the potential for landslides," rescuer Rifaldi Ashabi, 25, told AFP.

- 'Should be forested' -

Adar, one of the village residents who only provided one name, recalled the moment torrents of earth came crashing into the bedroom he shares with his grandchild.

"My grandchild and I were buried up to here," he said, pointing to his waist, tears running down his cheeks.

The 63-year-old goat farmer said he managed to dig himself out and escape by kicking down a wall.

"I dug (through the mud) and then my grandchild and I immediately got out," he told AFP outside his wrecked home, a half-buried car parked out front.

The disaster comes after the government pointed to the role forest loss played in flooding and landslides on Sumatra island late last year, which killed around 1,200 people and displaced more than 240,000.

West Java's governor Dedi Mulyadi blamed Saturday's disaster on the sprawling plantations around Pasirlangu, mostly used to grow vegetables, and pledged to relocate affected residents.

"This area should be forested. Local residents should be relocated because the potential for landslide is high," Dedi said in a statement on Saturday.

Forests help absorb rainfall and stabilise the ground held by their roots, while their absence makes areas more prone to flash flooding and landslides, David Gaveau, founder of conservation start-up The TreeMap, told AFP in December.

Floods and landslides are common across the vast archipelago during the rainy season, which typically runs from October to March.

]]> Sat, 07 FEB 2026 10:20:55 AEST Brasilia (AFP) Jan 26, 2026 - Lightning struck near a rally of supporters of Brazil's former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia on Sunday, injuring 89 people, according to the fire department.

Thousands gathered in the rain in the Brazilian capital to support Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison last year for leading a failed coup d'etat following his narrow re-election loss.

Footage shared online shows crowds with colourful umbrellas and plastic ponchos stunned by a sudden flash of light and rumbling sound.

The fire department told AFP they treated 89 people at the scene, including 47 who were taken to hospital.

Eleven people "required major medical care," the fire department added.

The gathering was organized by Brazilian lawmaker Nikolas Ferreira to demand "amnesty" for Bolsonaro.

The former head of state is incarcerated in the Papuda penitentiary complex in Brasilia.

He suffers from serious health complications related to a 2018 stabbing on the campaign trail and spent a week in hospital in December following surgery for a groin hernia and treatment for recurring hiccups.

Earlier this month he underwent tests after a fall in prison, but no serious injuries were found.

]]> Sat, 07 FEB 2026 10:20:55 AEST Athens (AFP) Jan 21, 2026 - Two people died in Greece on Wednesday as violent winds lashed swathes of the country and heavy rainfall flooded roads and confined ferries to port.

Maritime Affairs Minister Vassilis Kikilias on X said a coastguard had died "in the line of duty" in the coastal town of Astros in the eastern Peloponnese.

Reports said he had been hit by a wave and fatally injured while urging local fishermen to leave the area.

Hours later, state TV ERT reported that a woman had died in the Athens suburb of Glyfada after being knocked over by a car swept by floodwater.

The storm front moving eastwards across Greece saw winds exceed 100 kilometres (62 miles) an hour, prompting authorities in Athens and in the west and the south to shut schools.

Meteorologists said the storm had dumped the equivalent of six weeks of rain in some areas, including parts of the capital.

Outdoor work was discouraged and the authorities sent warnings to the public to avoid unnecessary travel.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also postponed a planned trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Deadly flooding in Greece during intense rainfall in recent years has forced the authorities to improve floodworks to limit damage.

In September 2023, the agricultural region of Thessaly in central Greece was devastated by a storm and catastrophic flooding that left 17 dead and drowned hundreds of thousands of farm animals.

In November 2017, heavy rain in Mandra, a semi-rural region near Athens, left 25 dead and dozens injured.

Experts have repeatedly called for infrastructure upgrades, especially in the greater Athens area, which is surrounded by mountains and crisscrossed by hundreds of waterways, most of them covered to accommodate rampant urbanisation in recent decades.

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]]> Sat, 07 FEB 2026 10:20:55 AEST Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Jan 14, 2026 - The planet logged its third hottest year on record in 2025, extending a run of unprecedented heat, with no relief expected in 2026, US researchers and EU climate monitors said Wednesday.

The last 11 years have now been the warmest ever recorded, with 2024 topping the podium and 2023 in second place, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service and Berkeley Earth, a California-based non-profit research organisation.

For the first time, global temperatures exceeded 1.5C relative to pre-industrial times on average over the last three years, Copernicus said in its annual report.

"The warming spike observed from 2023-2025 has been extreme, and suggests an acceleration in the rate of the Earth's warming," Berkeley Earth said in a separate report.

The landmark 2015 Paris Agreement commits the world to limiting warming to well below 2C and pursuing efforts to hold it at 1.5C -- a long-term target scientists say would help avoid the worst consequences of climate change.

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned in October that breaching 1.5C was "inevitable" but the world could limit this period of overshoot by cutting greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible.

Copernicus said the 1.5C limit "could be reached by the end of this decade -- over a decade earlier than predicted".

But efforts to contain global warming were dealt another setback last week as President Donald Trump said he would pull the United States -- the world's second-biggest polluter after China -- out of the bedrock UN climate treaty.

Temperatures were 1.47C above pre-industrial times in 2025 -- just a fraction cooler than in 2023 -- following 1.6C in 2024, according to the EU climate monitor.

Some 770 million people experienced record-warm annual conditions where they live, while no record-cold annual average was logged anywhere, according to Berkeley Earth.

The Antarctic experienced its warmest year on record while it was the second hottest in the Arctic, Copernicus said.

An AFP analysis of Copernicus data last month found that Central Asia, the Sahel region and northern Europe experienced their hottest year on record in 2025.

- 2026: Fourth-warmest? -

Berkeley and Copernicus both warned that 2026 would not break the trend.

If the warming El Nino weather phenomenon appears this year, "this could make 2026 another record-breaking year", Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, told AFP.

"Temperatures are going up. So we are bound to see new records. Whether it will be 2026, 2027, 2028 doesn't matter too much. The direction of travel is very, very clear," Buontempo said.

Berkeley Earth said it expected this year to be similar to 2025, "with the most likely outcome being approximately the fourth-warmest year since 1850".

- Emissions fight -

The reports come as efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions -- the main driver of climate change -- are stalling in developed countries.

Emissions rose in the United States last year, snapping a two-year streak of declines, as bitter winters and the AI boom fuelled demand for energy, the Rhodium Group think tank said Tuesday.

The pace of reductions of greenhouse gas emissions slowed in Germany and France.

"While greenhouse gas emissions remain the dominant driver of global warming, the magnitude of this recent spike suggests additional factors have amplified recent warming beyond what we would expect from greenhouse gases and natural variability alone," said Berkeley Earth chief scientist Robert Rohde.

The organisation said international rules cutting sulfur in ship fuel since 2020 may have actually added to warming by reducing sulfur dioxide emissions, which form aerosols that reflect sunlight away from Earth.

]]> Sat, 07 FEB 2026 10:20:55 AEST Subscribe to our daily selection of space, military, environment and energy newsletters responseText http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0016gbbKsaiGSpQFojVO8ZoHw%3D%3D