According to the research, the world used to warm at roughly 0.2 °C per decade from the 1970s until the mid-2010s, but in the last decade that rate has jumped to around 0.35 °C per decade — nearly double the earlier pace.

Researchers reached these results by examining multiple global temperature datasets and applying methods that filter out short-term natural influences like El Niño, volcanic eruptions and changes in solar activity. This approach made it possible to isolate the underlying long-term warming trend, which now shows a clear acceleration starting around 2013–2014.

The faster warming trend means that the internationally agreed 1.5 °C threshold — a key limit under the Paris Agreement — could be crossed much sooner than previously projected if emissions remain high. Some estimates suggest this could happen in the late 2020s if the current pace continues.

Instead of focusing just on how hot the world is overall, the study emphasizes that how quickly temperatures are rising has changed in an unprecedented way, with recent years showing the fastest warming rates since systematic temperature records began.