UN chief declares the 'era of global boiling' has arrived
As records tumbled during the hottest months ever measured, the Secretary-General issued a dramatic warning.
As global temperatures soared to record highs during the hottest months ever measured, the United Nations Secretary-General issued one of his most dramatic warnings yet, declaring that "the era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived."
The stark pronouncement came amid a summer of extraordinary extremes, with heat waves scorching multiple continents, wildfires raging, ocean temperatures reaching astonishing levels and the month on track to be confirmed as the hottest ever recorded. The vivid imagery was intended to shock a world the UN chief felt was still not responding with sufficient urgency.
He called for accelerated action from governments, businesses and financial institutions, urging wealthy nations in particular to move faster to cut emissions and to deliver on promises of support to developing countries. "The air is unbreathable, the heat is unbearable," he said, describing the toll of the extreme conditions.
The dramatic framing reflected mounting frustration among scientists and advocates at the gap between the escalating evidence of climate change and the pace of political action. The summer's extremes offered a visceral demonstration of what a warming world looks and feels like.
While the phrase "global boiling" was rhetorical rather than scientific, it captured a growing sense of alarm as records fell with increasing frequency. The warning underscored the central message of climate science: that the dangers were no longer distant projections but a present reality, unfolding in real time in the heat, fire and floods of a record-breaking year.