By Faridat Salifu
January 2025 has been recorded as the hottest January ever, surpassing the previous record set in January 2024, according to data from the EU’s Copernicus program.
This surprising rise in global temperatures occurred despite La Niña conditions, which typically have a cooling impact on the planet’s overall climate.
The global average temperature for January 2025 was 1.75°C (3.15°F) above pre-industrial levels.
The most significant temperature deviations, reaching up to 6°C (10.8°F) above the average, were primarily seen in northern Canada, Russia, and Scandinavian regions, where intense heatwaves were reported.
Jennifer Francis, an Arctic expert at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, explained that the influence of La Niña’s cooling effect is being overridden by increasingly severe heatwaves, particularly over the oceans.
“The heat waves across much of the oceans have become larger and stronger, so the influence of La Niña is being overwhelmed,” she said, adding that the Arctic has been warming four times faster than the global average, creating dangerous conditions in the region.
The unusually high temperatures in early 2025 follow a record-setting year of heat in 2024, fueled by an intense El Niño.
This contributed to every month from January to June breaking heat records, with 18 of the last 19 months seeing temperatures at least 1.5°C (2.7°F) higher than pre-industrial levels.
This marks a concerning breach of the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Despite these alarming statistics, experts stress that it’s premature to make conclusions about long-term global climate trends based solely on a few years of data.
A more extensive examination over decades is required to evaluate whether the planet is consistently surpassing the targets set by the Paris Agreement.
The primary cause of this dramatic warming is the ongoing emission of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, which trap heat in the atmosphere.
According to Francis, “We know this abnormal ocean warming comes from the extra heat trapped by greenhouse gases.”
To address these record temperatures, experts agree that a significant reduction in the use of fossil fuels, including oil, coal, and natural gas, is essential. Additionally, halting deforestation is critical to curbing future temperature increases and combating the impacts of climate change.
