2025 was one of three hottest #years on record, #scientists say.

Climate change worsened by human behavior made 2025 one of the three hottest years on record, scientists said.

It was also the first time that the three-year temperature average broke through the threshold set in the 2015 Paris Agreement of limiting warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) since preindustrial times. Experts say that keeping the Earth below that limit could save lives and prevent catastrophic environmental destruction around the globe.

The analysis from World Weather Attribution researchers, released Tuesday in Europe, came after a year when people around the world were slammed by the dangerous extremes brought on by a warming planet.

Temperatures remained high despite the presence of a La Nina, the occasional natural cooling of Pacific Ocean waters that influences weather worldwide. Researchers cited the continued burning of fossil fuels — oil, gas and coal — that send planet-warming greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

“If we don’t stop burning fossil fuels very, very, quickly, very soon, it will be very hard to keep that goal” of warming, Friederike Otto, co-founder of World Weather Attribution and an Imperial College London climate scientist, told The Associated Press. “The science is increasingly clear.”
Extremes in 2025

Extreme weather events kill thousands of people and cost billions of dollars in damage annually.

WWA scientists identified 157 extreme weather events as most severe in 2025, meaning they met criteria such as causing more than 100 deaths, affecting more than half an area’s population or having a state of emergency declared. Of those, they closely analyzed 22.

That included dangerous heat waves, which the WWA said were the world’s deadliest extreme weather events in 2025. The researchers said some of the heat waves they studied in 2025 were 10 times more likely than they would have been a decade ago due to climate change.

“The heat waves we have observed this year are quite common events in our climate today, but they would have been almost impossible to occur without human-induced climate change,” Otto said. “It makes a huge difference.”

Meanwhile, prolonged drought contributed to wildfires that scorched Greece and Turkey. Torrential rains and flooding in Mexico killed dozens of people and left many more missing. Super Typhoon Fung-wong slammed the Philippines, forcing more than a million people to evacuate. Monsoon rains battered India with floods and landslides.

The WWA said the increasingly frequent and severe extremes threatened the ability of millions of people across the globe to respond and adapt to those events with enough warning, time and resources, what the scientists call “limits of adaptation.” The report pointed to Hurricane Melissa as an example: The storm intensified so quickly that it made forecasting and planning more difficult, and pummeled Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti so severely that it left the small island nations unable to respond to and handle its extreme losses and damage.
Global climate negotiations sputter out

This year’s United Nations climate talks in Brazil in November ended without any explicit plan to transition away from fossil fuels, and though more money was pledged to help countries adapt to climate change, they will take more time to do it.

Officials, scientists, and analysts have conceded that Earth’s warming will overshoot 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), though some say reversing that trend remains possible.

Yet different nations are seeing varying levels of progress.

China is rapidly deploying renewable energies including solar and wind power — but it is also continuing to invest in coal. Though increasingly frequent extreme weather has spurred calls for climate action across Europe, some nations say that limits economic growth. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Trump administration has steered the nation away from clean-energy policy in favor of measures that support coal, oil and gas.

“The geopolitical weather is very cloudy this year with a lot of policymakers very clearly making policies for the interest of the fossil fuel industry rather than for the populations of their countries,” Otto said. “And we have a huge amount of mis- and disinformation that people have to deal with.”

Andrew Kruczkiewicz, a senior researcher at the Columbia University Climate School who wasn’t involved in the WWA work, said places are seeing disasters they aren’t used to, extreme events are intensifying faster and they are becoming more complex. That requires earlier warnings and new approaches to response and recovery, he said.

“On a global scale, progress is being made,” he added, ”but we must do more.”

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Alexa St. John, The Associated Press

Significant increase in the circulation of counterfeit bills in retail stores.

MONTREAL — The Retail Council of Canada is sounding the alarm about the significant increase in circulation of fake $20, $50, and $100 bills since November.

The association reports that it has detected more counterfeit bills in one month than in the entire previous year.

Counterfeiters have refined their techniques to such an extent that it has become nearly impossible to detect these counterfeit bills, even for a trained eye, says Michel Rochette, president of the RCC’s Quebec division.

“We have seen a recent resurgence of very high-quality bills. They are extremely credible; you can’t tell them apart from the real thing. The hologram is really well done. This means that, as we have been saying for a long time, we are facing increasingly structured and organized criminals,“ he says.

It is no coincidence that this increase is occurring in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

“Unfortunately, it’s a great time to issue counterfeit bills because stores are very busy; it’s the most important time of the year. With so many people shopping at the same time, it’s more difficult to tell the difference and notice if something is wrong,” Rochette says.

He does not know the extent of the phenomenon.

“Obviously, it’s not easy to quantify. But there really is an explosion of counterfeit bills, to the point where even the Quebec provincial police has put up posters in certain places warning people to be careful,” he says.

Rochette urges both consumers and merchants to be vigilant.

“It reminds us how important it is to inform and educate as many merchants as possible. The more people who are aware, the more we can try to limit the spread of these counterfeit bills.”

He also urges politicians to give police forces more resources to tackle this scourge.

“We are asking the federal and provincial governments to show some teeth. Since we’re talking about organized and structured groups, this often involves violence. There is a real obligation to take this issue extremely seriously because anything that is left unaddressed will only get worse.”

However, Rochette welcomes the Carney government’s decision to grant new powers to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to fight organized crime in the retail industry.

“This will give us a helping hand. Now, at the provincial level and in Quebec, it is absolutely essential that the government give police forces more resources to investigate and be on the ground.”

According to the latest national data, theft and fraud-related losses in businesses amount to $9 billion annually.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2025.

Sébastien Auger, The Canadian Press

Suicide car bomber, militants attack military post in northwest Pakistan, killing 4 soldiers.


The attack took place in North Waziristan, a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, according to the Pakistani military and local police.

Police said the blast caused nearby homes to collapse, injuring civilians.

The military in a statement said all the attackers were killed by troops during the fighting. No group immediately claimed responsibility, but the military blamed the Pakistani Taliban for the assault.

It said the attackers initially tried to breach the post’s perimeter but were repelled. The militants then rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the outer wall, it said.

The impact of the bombing damaged nearby homes and a mosque, it said.

The military said the attack was planned and directed from across the border in Afghanistan. There was no immediate comment from Kabul, which for years has insisted that it does not allow anyone to use Afghan soil to launch attacks against any country, including Pakistan.

The military said Pakistan expects Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to prevent militants from using Afghan territory to launch attacks on Pakistan.

It added that #Pakistan reserves the right to pursue militants and their facilitators.

A #California fisherman may have broken records by catching a 10.25-pound canary rockfish.

Mendocino County fisherman Brendan Walsh, 26, said he caught the fish Tuesday off the coast of Albion, about 150 miles (240 kilometres) north of San Francisco.

Walsh was headed back with his father Will Walsh after catching a few yellowtail on a cold and rainy day when he decided to make one last stop at a deeper spot. That’s where the younger Walsh landed the canary rockfish.

“It was a fluke,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Canary rockfish can grow up to 2.5 feet (0.76 metres) in length and weigh 10 lbs. (4.5 kilograms), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Walsh says the ones he usually catches are small and scrawny, clocking in around three lbs. (1.4 kilograms).

Walsh said the fish he caught this week was 2.25 feet (0.68 metres) long.

He submitted the catch to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which tracks angling and diving records. The current state record-holding fish weighed in at 9 lbs. and was caught last November, also in Mendocino County.

The department has a form and instructions for submitting a possible record catch, including the names and phone numbers of witnesses. Applicants are asked to contact the department for the nearest environmental scientist who can identify the catch.

Walsh said they weighed the fish at an authorized fish market nearby and a state fish and wildlife scientist who works in the area came over to sign off on the paperwork.

Walsh has also submitted his catch to the International Game Fish Association in Florida, where the world record holding 10-pound canary rockfish was caught in 1986. He says larger fish may have been caught but never submitted for record consideration.

The game fish association did not respond Friday to a request for comment.

After spending Tuesday making sure they had taken the right measurements to document the catch, Walsh’s mother, Deirdre Lamb, fried the rockfish with garlic and butter to eat on Wednesday.

The rockfish was delicious, he said.

Janie Har, The Associated Press

#Canada gets further away from reaching 2030 emission target: report


#OTTAWA — A progress report on Canada’s emissions targets shows the federal government’s projection for greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 is higher than it was two years ago.

The 2025 report estimates Canada’s emissions in 2030 will be around 513 million tonnes.

That’s if all planned and announced policy measures are implemented, such as the planned increase in carbon pricing to $170 per tonne in 2030.

The 2023 projection for 2030 emissions, with all proposed regulations in place, was for 467 million tonnes of emissions by 2030.

The most recent projection excludes the proposed oil and gas emissions cap — which would have cut emissions by another three million tonnes in 2030 but won’t be implemented following Ottawa’s memorandum with understanding with Alberta.

Canada’s goal under the Paris climate accord is to cut emissions to no more than 455 million tonnes by 2030, or 40 to 45 per cent below what they were in 2005.

This report by The #Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2025

The Canadian Press

Nearly 100-car pileup closes major highway as winter storm hits Alberta. An 80-to-100-vehicle pileup has closed Highway 2 between Airdrie and Calgary in both directions, RCMP said Wednesday afternoon.

Road conditions on central Alberta highways are deteriorating as a large winter storm moves through the province, leading police in several communities to implore drivers to drive carefully or stay off the roads altogether.

Highways and roads surrounding the Alberta capital are covered in snow – including around Barrhead to the northwest, Lamont to the northeast, and Onoway, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain to the west.

Drayton Valley and communities around it about 150 kilometres southwest of Edmonton are enduring the same road conditions.

In north-central Alberta’s Peace Country, between Grande Prairie and Slave Lake and south to Fox Creek, road conditions are much the same.

Drivers are reporting blowing snow, snow drifts and two trucks helping vehicles in ditches on secondary highways and back roads near Spruce Grove and Stony Plain. Drivers also report of blowing, heavy snow on Highway 16 further west around Wabamun, Evansburg and Wildwood.

Michigan man accused of using someone else to impersonate him in DNA paternity test.

According to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, Mark McCraken, 34, of Clinton Township, and Derek Harrison, 36, of Roseville, were arraigned for tampering with evidence. Prosecutors say both men, who are lodged at the Macomb County Jail, have habitual offender fourth offence notices that could result in up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors allege that on Sept. 12, 2025, McCracken used Harrison to sign in as him at the Macomb County Administration Building to submit his DNA for a paternity test.

“The allegations in this matter are truly outrageous. As many know, Macomb County takes matters of child support extremely seriously, and this case will receive the full attention it warrants,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido in a statement.

#Canadian ice dancers Gilles, Poirier just miss podium at Grand Prix Final

Carney expected to unveil agreement with Alberta on new pipeline today.


OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to unveil an agreement with Alberta Thursday which could clear the way for a new oil pipeline in exchange for stronger environmental regulations, while also walking back some of Ottawa’s climate policies.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said her government has been negotiating with Ottawa a “grand bargain” which would see the proposed Pathways Alliance carbon-capture project move forward alongside a proposed oil pipeline to the West Coast.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, Carney said the memorandum of understanding with Alberta “is about much more than one thing.”

“It’s about building this economy, it’s about making Canada more independent, and it’s about making Canada more sustainable,” Carney said, adding there would be “many aspects” to Thursday’s announcement.

Carney has vowed to make Canada an “energy superpower.” Standing in the way of a pipeline to the coast is the tanker ban, a moratorium prohibiting tankers from carrying more than 12,500 metric tonnes of crude oil in areas along the northern coast of British Columbia.

The tanker ban became law in 2019 under former prime minister Justin Trudeau and has been a prime target of the government of Alberta.

B.C. Premier David Eby has called on Ottawa to keep the ban in place. The president of the Coastal First Nations in British Columbia said Wednesday an oil pipeline to the province’s north coast “will never happen.”

Carney and his ministers have maintained no pipeline will go through B.C. without the approval of the province and First Nations.

Carney was asked Wednesday if he told Alberta that Ottawa would end the tanker ban.

“It’s a good question for tomorrow,” Carney said. “I’ll answer it tomorrow.”

Other areas likely to be addressed in the memorandum of understanding include changes to Alberta’s industrial carbon pricing system, which Smith said last month she was open to adjusting.

In September, Alberta announced it would maintain its freeze on the industrial carbon price at $95 per tonne through 2026, putting it out of step with the federal government’s backstop price, which is set to rise to $110 per tonne next year.

Carney and his ministers have for months refused to say whether Ottawa would trigger the backstop on Alberta and on Saskatchewan — which ended its industrial carbon price altogether in April.

The government’s climate competitiveness strategy, released earlier this month with the federal budget, appears to rely heavily on strengthening the industrial carbon price. It also plots a course for the price per tonne beyond 2030 and marks improvements to the carbon markets that underpin the whole system.

Carbon pricing systems like Canada’s industrial version work by capping maximum allowable emissions. Companies that come in under the cap generate credits they can sell to companies that exceed it.

The credits are meant to make it more cost-effective for companies to invest in emissions reduction than to simply buy credits when they exceed the cap — but that means how much the credits can sell for matters.

If the price is too low, there is no incentive to invest instead of buying credits.

The government’s climate strategy also opened the door to ending Ottawa’s emissions cap on oil and gas producers — something Smith and industry representatives have also called on Ottawa to scrap.

Ending the emissions cap is, however, contingent on promised improvements to the industrial pricing system, a scaling-up of carbon capture and storage technology and enhanced regulations to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.

TORONTO — Strong demand among potential homebuyers and built up inventory could pave the way for a sales rebound in 2026 after a roller-coaster year plagued by economic uncertainty.

Re/Max Canada says it expects national home sales to increase 3.4 per cent next year, as it sees “light at the end of the tunnel” following declines in 2025.

Its 2026 housing market outlook report says one-in-10 Canadians plan to buy a home in the next 12 months, half of whom for the first time, while one-quarter say they believe the market in their region will become more affordable.

The report says home sales fell year-over-year in 32 of 38 markets analyzed between January and October.

But inventory has grown as new listings increased year-over-year across all regions, including a 21 per cent increase in Ontario.

Re/Max says this has helped lead to balanced conditions that should entice buyers, with average prices expected to fall 3.7 per cent in 2026.

“Amid looming economic clouds, Canadians are maintaining their interest in home ownership,” said Re/Max Canada president Don Kottick in a news release.

“The resilience that began to emerge in the fall is anticipated to continue into 2026, with first-time buyers in particular finding creative ways to save and enter the market.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2025.