News

Climate change unabated: Researchers predict global warming of almost 1.5 degrees for 2025

Summer is over. Despite a partly quite cool July, the last three months were very warm overall in Austria, with over 30 hot days, not to mention the extremely high temperatures in other parts of Europe and the world. Researchers at the University of Graz can now, for the first time, provide a reliable forecast of global warming for the entire year before autumn: in 2025, it is expected to reach 1.48 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The long-term temperature increase – the average over a period of 20 years – is also already very close to the 1.5-degree limit of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Hot Earth: Annual report on global climate documents new records

The international annual report on the State of the Climate, published in mid-August, confirms new climate records for 2024. Despite the natural climate anomaly El Niño fading at the beginning of last year and giving way to cooler La Niña conditions, a record high in global surface temperature over land and ocean was set. This makes 2015 to 2024 the warmest ten years on record. “Global greenhouse gas concentrations also broke previous records. The resulting increase in energy input into the climate system impacts the land surface, the oceans, the ice and the atmosphere,” explains Andrea Steiner from the Wegener Center at the University of Graz.

Sehnsuchtsorte am Meer: römische Hafenstädte als Tor zur Welt

Schiffe legen an. Möwen kreischen. Am Ufer herrscht lautes Treiben. Hafenstädte stillen viele Sehnsüchte. Das war schon so in der römischen Antike – allerdings weniger aus romantischer Sicht. Denn die Handelszentren eröffneten den Menschen andere Perspektiven: neue Berufe, sozialen Aufstieg und kulturelle Vielfalt. Am Beispiel von Ostia (Italien) und Side (Türkei) entführt Archäologin Alice Landskron in eine Welt vor rund 2000 Jahren.

Austria's greenhouse gas emissions continue to fall: Uni Graz researchers identify causes

Climate protection is working. Austria's greenhouse gas emissions fell by 2.56 percent between 2023 and 2024, the Environment Agency Austria announced on 13 August 2025. This marks the third consecutive year of decline for the country. However, the decline in 2024 was weaker than in previous years, and emissions are now slightly above the target set in the EU agreement. Researchers at the University of Graz have analysed the reasons for the reduction in the previous year. They show that climate protection measures are responsible for almost two-thirds of the savings.

New study shows: Ozone layer recovering over the Antarctic

Significant temperature changes have been observed in the atmosphere in recent decades. Due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations, the troposphere, the weather layer of the atmosphere, is warming, while the stratosphere is cooling above. At the same time, the recovery of the ozone layer is warming the lower stratosphere. The fact that a warming is not observed over the Antarctic raised the question of whether the ozone layer is regenerating less effectively there. An international team of researchers, including a scientist from the University of Graz, has now refuted this theory and found that the cause is instead a slowdown in stratospheric circulation.

Human Rights, Security and National Adaptation Plans Nexus

A Holistic Approach to Women and Human Mobility on Monday, June 28th 16:00-17:30 online

Trees, soil crusts and soy: what influences the Earth's nitrogen balance

You can't smell it, you can't see it, but it ensures our survival: nitrogen makes up 78 per cent of the Earth's atmosphere. Bettina Weber, a biologist at the University of Graz, emphasises its importance: “Nitrogen serves as an essential nutrient and is needed for the formation of biomass and the regulation of all living organisms.” In order to be used, the element must be fixed with the help of microorganisms. This biological binding occurs in natural habitats, but also on agricultural land. While the proportion of natural areas is declining, fixation caused by agriculture has increased by 75 percent over the past 20 years. A key cause is the cultivation of soy, according to an international study which was published in the renowned journal Nature.

Vegetation under stress: climate change increases the risk of forest fires in Austria

Large-scale forest fires have just been extinguished on the Croatian coast. The Greek island of Chios is still battling the flames. Here in Austria, fire brigades are currently tackling blazes in the Leoben and the Rax area. In our region, the risk of fire is actually highest in spring due to dry conditions. However, in recent years there have also been more forest fires in summer due to very high temperatures. Researchers at the University of Graz are investigating the links between this increase and climate change in the European Alpine region, as well as the consequences for affected areas.

More news

New assessment report: climate change hits Austria particularly hard

Summer is in the starting blocks. Whether it will bring new temperature records remains to be seen. One thing is certain: Over the last few decades,…

Researchers at the University of Graz enable reliable monitoring of Paris climate goals

Global warming is continuously advancing. How quickly this will happen can now be predicted more accurately than ever before, thanks to a method…

Exemplary: Students and staff of the University are committed to climate-friendly mobility

Whether by public transport, bicycle or on foot, the majority of students and staff at the University of Graz travel in a climate-friendly manner. If…

Ice and snow on the retreat: what climate change means for our water

Artificial snow slopes wind their way through green forests and meadows. Last winter once again took a heavy toll on ski resorts. But climate change…

University of Graz launches project to share green know-how with Southeast Asia

Thailand and Vietnam are not only among the top tourist destinations. According to the Global Carbon Atlas, they are also among the regions with the…

Study shows: more heavy rain due to global warming

A new study has confirmed for the first time that heavy rainfall events in Austria have become more intense. A team of researchers from Geosphere…

Flood risk on the rise: Climate change causes more persistent heavy rainfall

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change. River floods such as those along the Ahr and Meuse valleys in 2021,…

Circular Bioengineering: FWF Cluster of Excellence aims to revolutionise the product cycle

Take a renewable raw material from nature – wood, for example – break it down into its building blocks and use them to create a functional material,…