An emerging “La Nina” weather pattern that cools global temperatures was not enough to prevent last month from becoming the hottest January on record, scientists have said.
January 2025 was 0.79°C above the 1991-2020 global average for the month and 1.75°C above pre-industrial levels, scientists from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said. It extends a persistent run of record highs over 2023 and 2024, as human-caused greenhouse gas emissions crank up the global thermostat.
It makes it the 18th month in the past 19 for which average global air surface temperatures were more than 1.5°C above what they were before the industrial era.
Climate scientists had expected this exceptional spell to subside after a warming El Nino event peaked in January 2024 and conditions gradually shifted to a cooling La Nina phase.
But the heat has lingered at record or near-record levels since, sparking debate among scientists about which other factors could be driving global warming to the top end of expectations.
"This is what makes it a bit of a surprise ... you're not seeing this cooling effect, or temporary brake at least, on the global temperature that we were expecting to see," said Julien Nicolas, a climate scientist from Copernicus.
Weak cooling effect
La Nina is expected to be weak and Copernicus said prevailing temperatures in parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean suggested "a slowing or stalling of the move towards" the cooling phenomenon.
Mr Nicolas said it could disappear completely by March.
Overall, it means 2025 is not expected to follow the previous two years into the history books: scientists predict it will be the third-hottest year since records began.
Scientists warn that every fraction of a degree of warming above the 1.5°C threshold increases the intensity and frequency of extreme weather such as heatwaves, heavy rain and drought.
The analysis, using billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world, also found the 12-month period from February 2024 to January 2025 was 1.61°C above the estimated temperature for 1850-1900, which is used to define the pre-industrial era.
The record highs come despite the emergence of La Nina pattern in the Pacific, which temporarily cools global temperatures.
The data shows sea-surface temperatures outside the polar regions averaged 20.78°C, making it the second-hottest January after last year’s record.
Temperatures were below average in the central Pacific but close to or above average in the eastern Pacific – suggesting a slowing or stalling of the move to La Nina conditions, while surface temperatures were unusually high in many other oceans and seas.
The average temperature over land in Europe was 1.8°C, which is 2.51°C above the 1991-2020 average for January, making it the second-warmest January for the continent after 2020.
While temperatures were mostly above average over southern and eastern Europe, they were below average in the UK and Ireland, Iceland, northern France and northern Scandinavia.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which runs C3S, said: “January 2025 is another surprising month, continuing the record temperatures observed throughout the last two years, despite the development of La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific and their temporary cooling effect on global temperatures.
“Copernicus will continue to closely monitor ocean temperatures and their influence on our evolving climate throughout 2025.”
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The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
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Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
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As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
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- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
Tomorrow 2021
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UAE%20SQUAD
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
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Cricket World Cup League Two
Teams
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
Fixtures
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
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