Climate Facts: May 2025 was second-hottest on record, says C3S

The complexities of climate change and its associated jargon can prove difficult to digest.

TheCable’s quick climate facts will help demystify these concepts through easy-to-understand and straight-to-the-point explanations.

Here are some to keep at the tip of your fingers:

• The European Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) says May 2025 was the second-warmest May globally, with an average surface air temperature of 15.79C, which was 0.53C above the 1991-2020 average for May.

• C3C said last month was 1.4C above the estimated 1850-1900 average used to define the pre-industrial level and interrupts a period of 21 months out of 22 where the global average temperature was more than 1.5C.

• Nigeria was ranked 26th in the 2025 Climate Change Performance Index.

• The country fell nine places from the 2014 ranking of 17th, rating high in green house gas (GHG) emissions and energy use, low in climate policy, and very low in renewable energy.

• The Climate Change Performance Index highlighted that achieving full decarbonisation and scaling up renewable energy infrastructure will require over $1.9 trillion by 2060.

• A new report by Power Shift Africa says carbon market schemes can unleash up to 2.5 gigatonnes of new emissions into the atmosphere annually.

• The report estimates that emissions from carbon markets could exceed the combined total of Africa’s current fossil fuel and agricultural emissions.