Rising heat, silent threat: Earth’s daily temperature surge

KATHMANDU: The Earth is warming, and it’s not just a seasonal phase or natural cycle. It’s a crisis—an accelerating one.

Day by day, thermometer readings across the globe are creeping higher, and the causes are neither mysterious nor distant.

They are rooted in decisions we’ve made over the past century—and continue to make—about how we live, produce, consume, and govern.

The Unignorable Trend

2023 was officially declared the hottest year in recorded history, a title it held briefly—until 2024 broke it again. Now, early trends in 2025 suggest we’re on track to shatter that record once more. According to NASA and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, global average temperatures have risen by more than 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels. In some regions, like the Arctic and parts of the Global South, this figure is already significantly higher.

This isn’t random. It’s a direct outcome of human-induced climate change—driven largely by the relentless burning of fossil fuels, rampant deforestation, and industrial greenhouse gas emissions.

Fossil Fuels: The Fire Beneath Our Feet

Since the dawn of the industrial age, we’ve relied on coal, oil, and gas to power our economies. But these energy sources release massive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O)—greenhouse gases that trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Despite decades of warnings from scientists and international summits like the Paris Agreement, global CO₂ levels hit a record high of 424 parts per million in 2024, up from 280 ppm in the 1800s. The link between this rise and global temperatures is irrefutable.

Worse still, methane—about 80 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20-year period—is leaking in staggering amounts from oil and gas infrastructure. As we frack, drill, and extract, we are literally cooking the planet from beneath.

Forests Are Falling—and Taking Climate Stability With Them

Forests act as carbon sinks, absorbing vast amounts of CO₂ from the atmosphere. But we’re losing them at an alarming rate. According to Global Forest Watch, the world lost over 25 million hectares of tree cover in 2023 alone. Deforestation in the Amazon, Indonesia, and Central Africa continues largely unchecked, fueled by demand for beef, palm oil, soy, and timber.

Each tree felled is a step closer to tipping points scientists fear we may not recover from—like the Amazon rainforest turning from carbon sink to carbon source.

The Feedback Loops Are Spiraling

Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of climate change is that it’s beginning to fuel itself. Melting Arctic ice, for instance, reduces the Earth’s albedo (its ability to reflect sunlight), causing more heat absorption and faster warming. Thawing permafrost is releasing trapped methane. Wildfires, now more frequent and intense, release carbon and destroy forests that could otherwise sequester it.

These self-reinforcing feedback loops are accelerating the temperature rise faster than many models predicted.

The Global Divide—and Global Responsibility

While the climate crisis affects everyone, it does not do so equally. Countries least responsible for emissions—many in Africa, South Asia, and the Pacific—are suffering the worst impacts: heatwaves, droughts, flooding, and crop failures.

Meanwhile, the wealthiest 10% of the global population are responsible for over 50% of carbon emissions, according to Oxfam. The disproportionate consumption of the Global North is driving a crisis the Global South is paying for.

Is It Too Late?

No—but the window is closing. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that we have less than five years to drastically cut emissions if we are to have any hope of limiting warming to 1.5°C. Every fraction of a degree matters. The difference between 1.5°C and 2°C is not just statistical—it means millions more people exposed to heatwaves, water scarcity, disease, and displacement.

The good news? Solutions exist. Renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels in many regions. Electric vehicles are becoming mainstream. Cities are investing in green infrastructure. But progress is too slow, often hampered by political inertia, fossil fuel lobbying, and short-term profit motives.

Final Word: Wake Up Before It Burns

The rising temperature of Earth is not a future threat—it’s a present emergency. Every unusually hot day, every wildfire, every disappearing glacier is a warning we can’t afford to ignore. Climate change is no longer about saving polar bears or planting trees for optics. It’s about safeguarding human life, justice, and the very systems that allow civilization to thrive.

It’s not just the temperature that’s rising. The stakes are too.