January 2025 Sees Record Global Temperatures

According to leading international datasets from the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the world just had its warmest January on record.  The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) explained that the record heat occurred despite the emergence of a La Niña event, which usually has a temporary cooling effect. “It was warmer than January 2024, when there was a warming El Niño event,” a WMO release observed. The release noted that according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, January 2025 was 1.75°C above the pre-industrial level, adding that every fraction of a degree of warming matters. In addition, the WMO stated that the last ten years have been the ten warmest on record. The organisation explained that environmental Changes are driving more extreme weather events. It explained that rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones, devastating rainfall, storm surges, flooding, deadly droughts, and wildfires are rising. It also pointed to increasing sea levels, exposing densely populated coastal areas to coastal inundation and ocean wave impacts, warning that the societal effects of these events continue long after the headlines fade. Comprising 193 territories and countries, the WMO is a specialised agency of the United Nations, promoting international cooperation on...