January 2025 saw the world record its hottest January ever, despite predictions of a slightly cooler year compared to 2024 and an unusually cold period in the United States. The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service attributes the record to a combination of greenhouse gas emissions and unexpected warming trends in global oceans.
The world experienced another monthly heat record in January 2025, despite predictions of a slightly less hot year and an abnormally chilly United States. The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service calculated that January 2025 was 0.09 degrees Celsius (0.16 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than January 2024, the previous hottest January. Furthermore, it was 1.75 C (3.15 F) warmer than pre-industrial times. This surprising record follows a 1940 record.
This January's heat is attributed largely to the accumulated greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels. However, natural contributions to temperature change haven't behaved as anticipated. The natural cycle of changes in the equatorial Pacific Ocean waters, a key driver of global temperatures, was less influential this time. While a strong El Nino in 2024 usually contributes to spikes in global temperatures, its cooler counterpart, a La Nina, typically dampens these effects. Despite the La Nina, record temperatures persisted globally. This is partly explained by record warmth observed in the rest of the world's oceans. Usually, temperatures decrease rapidly after an El Nino year, but that hasn't been the case this time. While the US experienced a cold January, this doesn't reflect the global trend. A much larger area of the planet's surface was significantly warmer than average. Notably, the Arctic saw unseasonably mild temperatures, with some parts of Canada recording temperatures 30 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit) above average. The Arctic's sea ice levels tied the January record for minimum extent. James Hansen, a prominent climate scientist and former top NASA official, warns that the warming trend is accelerating. His study published in the journal Nature, alongside colleagues, states that the last 15 years have warmed at twice the rate of the previous 40 years. Hansen predicts that this accelerated warming will likely continue for several years
Climate Change Global Warming Temperature Records La Nina El Nino Arctic Greenhouse Gases
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