The last precedents of strong or very strong El Niño episodes left worrying data that were exacerbated by the influence of global warming. The super El Niño of 2015-2016 was the most powerful on record, with an oceanic warming index of more than 2.5 ºC. An extraordinary fact that contributed to 2016 being the warmest year recorded worldwide up to then.

The world is looking towards the Pacific with unease. Forecasts from major international climate agencies warn of the probable formation of what has popularly been dubbed a super-Niño over the coming months in this area of the planet. An episode of the El Niño phenomenon much more intense than usual, capable of shaking global climate. Its consequences could range from extreme droughts to torrential rains in different parts of the planet, but above all due to a clear and general rise in temperatures.

El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon that occurs when the surface waters of the equatorial Pacific Ocean warm more than usual. This warming alters the usual large-scale circulation of winds and rainfall. Normally, trade winds push warm water westward in the Pacific, near Indonesia and Australia. But when these winds weaken, the warm water shifts towards the central and eastern Pacific, especially off the coasts of Peru and Ecuador. This causes the sea temperature to rise and alters precipitation.

Forecasts from various international climate agencies indicate that we are on the verge of an El Niño episode that could be one of the most intense in decades. Popularly, it has been nicknamed Superniño, and its effects will be global, especially with more extreme heat. We analyze this phenomenon and what impact it may have in Catalonia.

Europe is the continent that is warming fastest in the world. This is causing a continued loss of snow and ice and increasingly extreme weather phenomena. In the year 2025 alone, several records derived from the climate crisis were registered across the continent, which caused serious consequences for the societies and ecosystems of all of Europe.

It’s not a race, but if it were, the climate emergency wouldn’t just be winning—it would be doing so with one feat after another. “It’s as if every year a new runner appeared and broke a record, and did so by a wide margin, and the following year it was broken again—that wouldn’t be normal,” says Francisco Doblas, head of the Earth Sciences Department at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), in a vivid analogy. The paradox is that, in this case, record highs are not achievements to applaud, let alone celebrate.

The Pyrenees are warming up at cruising speed due to the climate crisis. The average temperature across the mountain range has increased by 1.9 °C since 1959, a figure that rises to 2.7 °C in the summer. This means that, since the mid-20th century, the Pyrenees have lost twenty frosty days per year and gained 32 summer days (days with temperatures above 25 °C). Or, in other words: every decade, 3 frosty days are lost and 4.9 summer days are gained.

In a remote corner of the planet, just 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole and surrounded by ice, lies a kind of modern-day Noah's Ark, designed not to save animals, but to preserve the future of global agriculture. Buried beneath a mountain of ice in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, the vast global seed vault has become a silent symbol of resilience in the face of the global uncertainties of the 21st century. Designed to ensure the continuity of spices and plant-based foods in the event of a catastrophe, this biodiversity sanctuary receives samples of crops from all over the world. And now, finally, the olive tree is also part of this select group. Therefore, the future of this symbol of the Mediterranean landscape and culture is guaranteed.

Global warming is unstoppable, and in the last ten years it has accelerated significantly. This is the conclusion of a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, published this Friday in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters. The study confirms that since 2015, global warming has increased by approximately 0.35°C per decade, compared to the slightly less than 0.2°C average per decade recorded between 1970 and 2015. This new rate of temperature increase is higher than in any previous decade since instrumental records began in 1880, leading the research group responsible for the study to conclude that the warming limits set for this century could soon be exceeded. "If the warming rate of the last ten years continues, it would lead to a long-term exceedance of the 1.5°C limit set in the Paris Agreement before 2030," warns Stefan Rahmstorf, a researcher at PIK and lead author of the study, in the article. "The rate at which the Earth continues to warm ultimately depends on how quickly we reduce global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels to zero," he states. According to Rahmstorf himself, the adjusted data show an acceleration of global warming since 2015 with a statistical certainty of over 98%. The researchers compiled the study using the five major global temperature datasets established worldwide (NASA, NOAA, HadCRUT, Berkeley Earth, ERA5). Interference from specific phenomena

"We can now demonstrate a strong and statistically significant acceleration of global warming since approximately 2015," says Grant Foster, a US statistician and co-author of the study. The data have taken into account "natural influences" that can interfere with and mask changes in the warming rate data, such as El Niño, solar cycles, and volcanic eruptions. According to Foster, this ensures that the long-term warming signal is "clearly more visible" and reliable. Taking all this into account, after correcting for the effects of El Niño and the solar cycle maximum, 2023 and 2024, which were exceptionally warm years, have turned out to be somewhat cooler than previously thought, but they remain the two warmest years since instrument records began. The study has confirmed that the acceleration of global warming began to become evident in 2013 or 2014. To determine if the rate of global warming has changed since the 1970s, the research team used two statistical tools. The first analyzes whether the temperature trend has been accelerating over time, and the second divides the data series into different periods to objectively detect any points at which the rate of warming changes. The study does not analyze the exact causes of this possible acceleration. However, according to the authors, current climate models already predict that the rate of warming may increase, so this behavior falls within the realm of what climate studies consider possible.

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The rainfall in the western Mediterranean during the first two months of this year has been a third more torrential compared to the period before the planet warmed by 1.3°C. This is the conclusion of a report published this Thursday by the international group of scientists from World Weather Attribution (WWA), which analyzed the exceptional rainfall at the beginning of 2026 in northwest and southeast Spain, southern and northern Portugal, and northern Morocco. Specifically, the report concludes that in the southern regions, the increase in rainfall intensity has been 36%, while in the northern regions it has been 29%. Experts highlight the "unusual number" of storms and low-pressure systems that have affected the entire Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco during January and February, winter months that are typically dry in Spain. In this period alone, nine major storms have already hit, an extraordinary number. The study attributes this increase in extreme weather events to human activity, specifically carbon dioxide emissions. Experts combined observed increases with climate model simulations, and the results demonstrate that human activity is the direct cause of at least an 11% increase in rainfall intensity in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. "Weather patterns that were once more adaptable are now becoming more dangerous disasters, and that is exactly what climate change means, with increasingly intense and severe rainfall," explains David García García, one of the study's authors and a professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Aerospace Engineering. The epicenter of the extraordinary rainfall of 2026 was the municipality of Grazalema, in Cádiz, where in just a few days the amount of rain that usually accumulates over an entire year fell, exceeding 2,000 liters per square meter and causing widespread damage. In addition to the exceptional and intense rainfall, the report also highlights the episodes of hurricane-force winds that the Iberian Peninsula has experienced in recent weeks. This highly unstable weather pattern, according to the same study, has resulted from several factors. One of them has been the presence of high pressure systems—anticyclones—over northern Europe, causing an atmospheric blocking pattern that has diverted the jet stream and the usual circulation of storms towards lower latitudes. But it's noteworthy that this series of storms has been "supercharged" by atmospheric currents that have brought significant moisture from a major marine heatwave in the western Atlantic. This combination, a consequence of global warming, has intensified rainfall events in our country.

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2025 was the third warmest year on record globally. This data reinforces the advance of global warming, as the last eleven years have been the warmest in history. But above all, it is noteworthy that the last three years (2023, 2024, and 2025) were the first to exceed the 1.5°C limit above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900). Never before had the combined figure for a three-year period surpassed this limit set in the Paris Agreement. This is the conclusion of the annual climate report published today by the climate change service of the European Copernicus program. Specifically, the average global temperature last year was 14.97°C, 0.59°C above the reference average (1991-2020) and 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels. In fact, 2025 is only 0.01°C below 2023—the second warmest year on record—and 0.13°C below 2024, which currently holds the record for the warmest year. It's worth remembering that 2024 was the first year to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, specifically reaching 1.6°C.

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It's the heart of autumn, and forests across the country have been displaying the classic and spectacular yellow, red, and orange hues of this time of year for weeks. But the colors of autumn are arriving later and later in our country due to the effects of the climate crisis, according to a study by Meteocat published this Friday based on data from the Phenological Network of Catalonia (Fenocat). The report concludes that the change in leaf color of deciduous trees is being delayed by an average of 2.1 days per decade in Catalonia. The study focused on the beech tree, which is particularly colorful at this time of year. In fact, beech forests attract thousands of visitors every autumn because of their spectacular display. Data indicates that some beech forests are experiencing a delay in leaf color change of up to 3 or 4 days per decade, such as those found at Roca Tiraval in Bagà (Berguedà) or Castellterçol (Moianès). This shortening of the natural period puts these trees at risk in the future.

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When he was six years old, his parents sent him to live with his grandparents in Punjab for a year, hoping he would understand his Indian roots. That experience profoundly marked him. It was nothing like his native Essex, in the United Kingdom, which was much grayer and more industrial, and it instilled in Yadvinder Malhi (High Wycombe, UK, 1968) an admiration, curiosity, and passion for nature. Today, this professor of ecosystem science at the University of Oxford is one of the world's most recognized scientific voices in the integration of ecosystem ecology into Earth sciences. His work on climate change and biodiversity loss, especially in tropical forests, has been fundamental. For this reason, he was awarded the 21st Ramon Margalef Prize for Ecology 2025, granted by the Government of Catalonia.

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The torrential and extreme rains that devastated the Valencian Community a year ago could be repeated much more often than previously thought: every 47 years, not every 500 as previously believed. This is the conclusion of a study by the Center for Land Policy and Valuation (CPSV) at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), which was published to coincide with the first anniversary of the tragic storm. Led by professors Blanca Arellano and Josep Roca, the study is based on an analysis of data from 350 stations of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) from 1950 to 2024. It has determined that the more than 700 liters per square meter accumulated in the Valencian Community "were not a unique, exceptional phenomenon," but rather an event with a "significant probability" of recurring. "The return period for the rainfall of October 29, 2024, falls far short of Aemet's initial forecasts, instead being reduced to 47 years," the study states. The figures indicate that even more extreme episodes, accumulating more than 1,600 l/m² in just 24 hours, could occur every 500 years. "Flood studies should be adjusted to this prediction," the report concludes. The data also indicate that torrential rains could occur every two to three years, and that rainfall exceeding 400 l/m² in a single day could happen every ten years. To prepare the study, the CPSV team mapped the extent of the rainfall and modeled the flood of October 29 of last year. They also analyzed the causes of the extreme rainfall in the Valencian Community.

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We've been recording heat records in the Mediterranean Sea for quite a few years, and 2025 is no exception. Extreme heat has left unprecedented levels in recent months, and this summer the high temperatures caused a new record for sea level rise. Specifically, on August 28, a temporary peak of 40 centimeters above the reference value for the years 1990-1995 was recorded in L'Estartit (Baix Empordà). A record never seen since records began.

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The climate crisis makes this summer's historic and devastating wildfires on the Iberian Peninsula 40 times more likely, with sustained extreme conditions of heat, drought, and wind. This is the conclusion of a recent study by scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA)The data indicate that the heat waves and drought experienced during the summer months intensified the rapid spread of fires in Spain and Portugal, with temperatures above 40°C for ten consecutive days, specifically between August 8 and 17, the hottest episode ever recorded in the state.

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Hail and hailstones are a classic weather phenomenon in our area. They are common, especially in summer, but in recent years, an increase in these off-season phenomena has been detected, especially with larger stones. This year is a good example, as exceptional hailstorms have been recorded since April due to unusual timing and sizes. All of this is a result of the impact of global warming and the climate crisis.

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The heat wave we've been experiencing in recent days has also been felt at sea. The Mediterranean region has been experiencing extreme heat for weeks due to extremely high air temperatures. According to data from the maritime service of the European Copernicus program, at the end of June, seawater temperature anomalies reached up to 5°C above average in some areas. All of this has led to Catalonia has recorded its warmest June on record, with heat records also at sea.

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Well into the early hours of Sunday morning, the UN summit against the climate crisis, COP29, has reached an agreement that seemed almost impossible, but which has disappointed almost everyone. The text approved in Baku (Azerbaijan) provides for rich countries to contribute $300 billion annually by 2035 to help poor countries cope with the climate emergency. A figure "scandalously low," as the Gambian minister said, within an agreement that is generally "disappointing," according to climate NGOs such as Greenpeace, but one that poor countries have had no choice but to accept in order to have some aid to work with. It falls far short of the trillion dollars requested by the most vulnerable states and NGOs, leaving the door open to aid of many types, "public and private," or even in the form of credit.

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The average annual temperature continues to rise dangerously, with an accumulated increase of 2°C over the last 75 years in Catalonia. The rate of warming is clearly greater than that of the planet as a whole, which is currently estimated to be just over one degree over the same period. This confirms that the Mediterranean region is one of the areas warming the most in the world, according to the latest Annual Bulletin of Climate Indicators (BAIC) from the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (SMC), published this Friday.

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