Recent months have been a reminder that climate change is not a future threat, but already a current reality changing ecosystems, economies and lifestyles across the globe. From North America to the Pacific Ocean, Asia to Europe, increasing temperatures, prolonged drought and extreme weather phenomena have reached an inflection point.
Spanish summers are normally associated with overcrowded beaches, village fêtes and mountain sunsets. This year, however, brought fires blazing across the landscape and through rural communities. From the fields of Extremadura to forests along the North Atlantic, flames have wreaked havoc on nature and rural lifestyle.
Yet the fires seen in Spain and Portugal are far from the only examples of disasters caused by increasing temperature. This year Canada lived its second season of the most destructive conflagrations in a decade. In Australia, temperatures went over 48°C in New South Wales, while, in California and the south-east United States, the Colorado River registered its lowest levels on record.
For the International Day of Climate Action, all these recent events remind us that the emergency is not contained to scientific reports or forecasts, it’s in the here and now. One that demands we speed up the energy transition and rethink how we live on the land. One where we understand that what’s at stake is not just next summer’s rural bliss, but the very future of our way of life.
What will I learn from this article?
Recent months have shown us how vulnerable is the world. But it’s also one in which we’re learning. Extreme heatwaves, flash floods and massive forest fires showed how the climate crisis acts out a chain, changing water cycles, compromising food security, testing public health systems and infrastructure.
The year began as it meant to continue: January was the hottest month ever recorded across the planet, with an average temperature of 1.3ºC above that of the preindustrial era
In Spain, the impact was especially visible, but by no means isolated. According to AEMET, the Spanish meteorological agency, 2025 will in all probability turn out to be the hottest year since records began. In the Mediterranean region, the sea temperature reached 28°C, affecting marine ecosystems and increasing the frequency of intense storms. Canada, Australia and the western United States experienced similar episodes, reminding us that the climate emergency is not contained by borders or seasons.
The year began symbolically: January was the hottest month ever recorded across the globe, with an average temperature of 1.3°C above that of the preindustrial era. In Asia, the spring heatwave in India and Pakistan exceeded 50°C in several regions, and in Europe June brought record temperatures in Portugal, Italy and Finland.
In the face of this reality, experts agreed it would be vital not only to adapt, but to transform the development model. Reducing emissions through decarbonization of energy, reinforcing sustainable infrastructures so they can resist extreme events, implementing a circular economy, have become shared priorities.
Reducing emissions through decarbonization of energy, reinforcing sustainable infrastructure able to resist extreme events, and implementing a circular economy have become shared priorities.
Every 24 October, the International Day of Climate Action reminds us that the climate fight is neither a remote matter nor exclusive to science. It’s the challenge now and straddles the economic, social and cultural.
In 2025, the debate focused more than ever on the transition toward a decarbonized world. Renewable energies – solar, wind, hydro and geothermal – are already the motor of global change. This year more than 90% of the world’s newly installed electricity generating capacity will come from clean sources, says the International Energy Agency.
Transport electrification, water management efficiency, refitting of buildings to improve their energy credentials, are examples of how climate action is translating into innovation, employment and well-being. Change is underway, but it needs to accelerate. Countries like Australia, the US and Spain are driving green investment policies that combine technology and resilience, from smart electricity grids to nature-based solutions that regenerate ecosystems.
Climate Action Day is an opportunity to remind everyone that international cooperation needs strengthening. No country can face such a structural and shared challenge alone. Public-private ventures, sustainable financing and scientific collaboration will be decisive in reducing the gap between commitments and effective action.
Because climate change is not just an environmental problem, it is a matter of justice, health and our common future. The way in which we respond will write the history of the 21st Century.
Journalist and content manager specialising in sustainability. Trained at the Carlos III University of Madrid, she works at the intersection between the environmental, the human and the organisational from a conscious and committed point of view.
Her texts seek to provide clarity and perspective, integrating a critical, conscious and documented look at the challenges of the present.
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