In January 2025, the world experienced another monthly heat record, with temperatures surpassing the previous hottest January. According to the European climate service Copernicus, January 2025 was 0.09 degrees Celsius warmer than January 2024 and 1.75 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times. This marks the 18th month out of the last 19 that global temperatures have exceeded the internationally agreed-upon warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The primary driver of this record heat is the accumulation of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels. While natural factors like the equatorial Pacific Ocean's temperature changes typically influence global temperatures, the recent La Nina event was expected to mitigate the effects of global warming. However, despite the cooling influence of La Nina, record temperatures persisted due to unprecedented warmth in the world's oceans.
