January was world’s warmest on record, say EU scientists

The distinctive month got here after 2023 ranked because the planet’s hottest 12 months in international information going again to 1850, as human-caused local weather change and the El Nino climate phenomenon, which warms the floor waters within the japanese Pacific Ocean, pushed temperatures greater.

Each month since June has been the world’s hottest on file, in contrast with the corresponding month in earlier years.

“Not solely is it the warmest January on file however we have now additionally simply skilled a 12-month interval of greater than 1.5 C (1.7 F) above the pre-industrial reference interval,” C3S Deputy Director Samantha Burgess mentioned. “Fast reductions in greenhouse gasoline emissions are the one option to cease international temperatures rising,” she mentioned.

US scientists have mentioned 2024 has a one-in-three likelihood of being even hotter than final 12 months, and a 99% likelihood of rating within the prime 5 warmest years.

The El Nino phenomenon started to weaken final month, and scientists have indicated it might shift to the cooler La Nina counterpart later this 12 months. Nonetheless, common international sea floor temperatures final month had been the very best for any January on file.

Nations agreed within the 2015 Paris Settlement to attempt to stop international warming surpassing 1.5 levels Celsius, to keep away from it unleashing extra extreme and irreversible penalties.

Regardless of exceeding 1.5 C in a 12-month interval, the world has not but breached the Paris Settlement goal, which refers to a mean international temperature over a long time.

Some scientists have mentioned the objective can not realistically be met, however have urged governments to behave sooner to chop CO2 emissions to restrict overshooting the goal — and the lethal warmth, drought and rising seas that this might inflict on individuals and ecosystems — as a lot as attainable.