2026 State of the Climate report: record CO2, ocean heat, and ice loss as renewables pass coal

The 2026 State of the Climate report, published on 14 October, tracks 16 planetary indicators and finds seven at record extremes. Atmospheric CO2 passed 428 ppm in May, glacier and Greenland ice mass are at record lows, and ocean heat content and sea level are at record highs. The authors flag preliminary data and stress that the El Nino outlook for autumn 2026 is conditional, not a confirmed forecast. The report also shows a mixed energy picture. Fossil fuel consumption rose 0.9 percent in 2025 and energy-related CO2 emissions topped 41 gigatonnes for the first time. At the same time, low-carbon sources supplied about 43 percent of global electricity and renewables overtook coal in the power mix for the first time in over a century. The authors say clean energy growth is not yet displacing fossil fuels because total demand keeps rising. For carbon markets and climate policy, the key takeaway is that capacity additions alone are not bending the emissions curve. The report calls for faster cuts, adaptation, and ecosystem protection while noting that renewable expansion and storage are still far below the required pace.