The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service says the world experienced its hottest January on record, continuing a run of exceptional heat fuelled by climate change.
The service in a statement said last month surpassed the previous warmest January, which occurred in 2020, as human-caused climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon, which warms the surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, pushed temperatures higher.
C3S Deputy Director Samantha Burgess said not only is it the warmest January on record but the earth has also just experienced a 12-month period of more than 1.5 Celsius above the pre-industrial reference period.
Climate specialist, Justin Rowlatt noted that 2024 has a one-in-three chance of being even hotter than last year, and a 99% chance of ranking in the top five warmest years.
Countries agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement to try to prevent global warming surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius, to avoid it unleashing more severe and irreversible consequences.
