The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that January 2024 was the hottest January ever recorded, exceeding pre-industrial levels by 1.75C. This unexpected outcome contradicts the prediction that the La Nina cooling phase would moderate the rising global temperatures.
Last month was the hottest January on record, Europe's climate monitor said on Thursday, despite expectations that cooler La Nina conditions might quell a streak of record-breaking global temperatures. The Copernicus Climate Change Service said January was 1.75C hotter than pre-industrial times, extending a persistent run of history-making highs over 2023 and 2024, as human-caused greenhouse gas emissions crank up the global thermostat.
Climate scientists had expected this exceptional spell to subside after a warming El Nino event peaked in January 2024 and conditions gradually shifted to an opposing, cooling La Nina phase. But the heat has lingered at record or near record levels ever since, sparking debate among scientists about what other factors could be driving heating to the top end of expectations. 'This is what makes it a bit of a surprise... you're not seeing this cooling effect, or temporary brake at least, on the global temperature that we were expecting to see,' Julien Nicolas, a climate scientist from Copernicus, told. La Nina is expected to be weak and Copernicus said prevailing temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean suggested'a slowing or stalling of the move towards' the cooling phenomenon.Last month, Copernicus said that global temperatures averaged across 2023 and 2024 had exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius for the first time. This did not represent a permanent breach of the long-term 1.5C warming target under the Paris climate accord — but a clear sign that the limit was being tested. Scientists warn that every fraction of a degree of warming above 1.5C increases the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events like heatwaves, heavy rainfall and droughts. Copernicus said Arctic sea ice in January hit a monthly record low, virtually tied with 2018. Analysis from the US this week put it at the second-lowest in that dataset. Overall, 2025, is not expected to follow 2023 and 2024 into the history books: scientists predict it will rank the third hottest year yet. Copernicus said it would be closely monitoring ocean temperatures throughout 2025 for hints about how the climate might behave. Oceans are a vital climate regulator and carbon sink, and cooler waters can absorb greater amounts of heat from the atmosphere, helping to lower air temperatures.'This heat is bound to resurface periodically,' said Nicolas. 'I think that's also one of the questions -- is this what has been happening over the past couple of years?' Sea surface temperatures have been exceptionally warm over 2023 and 2024, and Copernicus said readings in January were the second highest on record
CLIMATE CHANGE GLOBAL WARMING LAP NINA ARCTIC SEA ICE TEMPERATURE RECORDS
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