
'Dangerous climate breakdown' warning as hottest January on record shocks scientists
Last month was the warmest January on record, according to new data.
The finding has baffled scientists, who had expected changes in ocean currents in the Pacific to take the edge off rising global temperatures.
Figures released by the European Copernicus climate service show average temperatures around the world in January were 1.75C warmer than before greenhouse gas emissions started to rise significantly in the industrial revolution around 150 years ago.
That's 0.1C above the record set last January. And it comes after a year in which temperatures topped 1.5C, the target for climate negotiations, for the first time.
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Dr Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London, warned that the rising pace of climate change would increase the risk of extreme weather and its consequences.
"This January is the hottest on record because countries are still burning huge amounts of oil, gas and coal," she said.
"The Los Angeles wildfires were a stark reminder that we have already reached an incredibly dangerous level of warming. We'll see many more unprecedented extreme weather events in 2025."
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January had been expected to be slightly cooler than last year because of a natural shift in weather patterns and ocean currents in the Pacific, called La Nina.
But that hasn't been enough to slow the upward trend in temperatures.
'Frankly terrifying'
Bill McGuire, emeritus professor of geophysical & climate hazards at UCL, said: "The fact that the latest robust Copernicus data reveals the January just gone was the hottest on record - despite an emerging La Nina, which typically has a cooling effect - is both astonishing and, frankly terrifying.
"Having crashed through the 1.5C limit in 2024, the climate is showing no signs of wanting to dip under it again, reflected by the fact that this is the 18th of the last 19 months to see the global temperature rise since pre-industrial times top 1.5C.
"On the basis of the Valencia floods and apocalyptic LA wildfires, I don't think there can be any doubt that dangerous, all-pervasive, climate breakdown has arrived."
The consequences of a warming atmosphere are also being directly felt in the UK, with more intense rainfall increasing the risk of surface flooding.
The Environment Agency released figures in December showing 4.6 million properties in England are at risk from flooding as drainage systems are overwhelmed by rainfall. That's a 43% increase on previous estimates.
But adapting to a climate change is hugely expensive.
The government on Wednesday announced it would spend £2.65bn over two years to shore up existing flood defences and protect an extra 52,000 homes and businesses - a tiny fraction of the number at risk.
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The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Greenland and Iceland saw record heat in May. What does that mean for the planet?
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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
See our Sun like NEVER before: European Space Agency unveils the first ever photo of our home star's south pole - and says the best snaps are yet to come
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Dr Sami Solanki, of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, says: 'We didn't know what exactly to expect from these first observations – the Sun's poles are literally terra incognita.' Already, these observations are helping scientists understand how the sun's ever-changing weather could impact Earth. The sun's magnetic poles flip roughly once every 11 years in a process known as the solar cycle. This flip coincides with a period of massively increased activity known as the solar maximum, sending huge solar flares and waves of ejected material hurtling towards Earth. While these events can have serious consequences for our planet's electronics and communications systems, we don't know enough about the sun's magnetic poles to predict exactly when a solar maximum will occur. Professor Lucie Green, an astronomer at UCL and co-investigator on the EUI, says: 'Being able to observe the poles is vital for understanding how the Sun's magnetic field operates on a global scale, leading to an 11-year cycle in the Sun's activity.' One of the Solar Orbiters' first observations is that the magnetic fields at the sun's south pole are currently in a state of disarray. A normal bar magnet will have a clear north and south pole, but the sun's south pole currently has both north and south magnetic fields present. This only happens for a short time during the solar maximum right after the magnetic poles flip. After the flip, the polarity will slowly build up over the next five years to create clear north and south poles, bringing the sun to its most stable period known as a solar minimum. Scientists still don't fully understand how this build-up process happens, but the Solar Orbiters' new position should help them find out. Professor Green says: 'We'll see previously unobserved high-latitude flows that carry magnetic elements to the polar regions, and in doing so sow the fundamental seeds for the next solar cycle.' In addition to capturing the changing magnetic fields, the Solar Orbiter has captured the first look inside the south pole's different layers. The SPICE instrument measures the light, or spectral lines, sent out by specific chemicals when they are heated to known temperatures. By tracking these spectral lines, the Solar Orbiter can work out how fast clumps of solar material are moving in a process called 'Doppler measurement'. Tracking how these particles move between the sun's layers is vitally important since it can reveal how this material is flung out of the sun in the form of solar wind. Solar wind is responsible for triggering the Northern Lights but can also damage satellites in orbit, disrupt power grids on land, and bathe astronauts in dangerous radiation. Having now dropped below the equator, the Solar Orbiter could now help scientists understand this disruptive phenomenon. aDr Frédéric Auchère, an astronomer from the University of Paris-Saclay and SPICE team leader, says: 'Doppler measurements of solar wind setting off from the Sun by current and past space missions have been hampered by the grazing view of the solar poles. 'Measurements from high latitudes, now possible with Solar Orbiter, will be a revolution in solar physics.' However, these are just the very first observations and scientists say that more measurements and even more discoveries are yet to come. Large parts of the data from the first images still need to be analysed, with the full dataset expected to arrive back on Earth by October this year. In the years to come, all ten of the Solar Orbiter's instruments will collect vast quantities of data as further meet-ups with Venus shift the craft to an even more tilted orbit. 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The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Peanuts or almonds? Rice or millet? Planet-friendly grocery shopping choices go beyond cutting meat
It's one of the most impactful climate decisions we make, and we make it multiple times a day. The U.N. estimates about a third of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change, come from food. That pollution can come from several links in the food supply chain: how farmland is treated, how crops are grown, how food is processed and how it's ultimately transported. Maybe you've already heard the short answer to minimizing your diet's impact on the planet: eat more plants and fewer animals. The data backs up that suggestion. Emissions from meat-rich diets are four times higher than that of vegan diets. But so much focus on meats overshadows many other food choices that also impact the environment and can contribute to global warming. Here is a look at other important grocery store decisions: Proteins Swapping one serving of chicken per day for beef cuts a diet's emissions nearly in half. Ruminant animals such as cows, sheep and goats are the top drivers of emissions. Those animals "are associated not only with nitrous oxide emissions, but they're also related to direct methane emissions because they burp them up while they digest food,' said Marco Springmann, professorial research fellow in climate change, food systems and health at University College London. Springmann said processed animal products have a higher impact on the planet, too: 'You need 10 times the amount of milk to make one unit of cheese.' So — and this is true of most food groups — the less processed the food, the smaller the environmental impact. Plant-based proteins like legumes, beans and nuts all boast a much lower climate impact. Grains The standout here is rice, and not in a good way. ' Rice uses a ton of water. It uses gobs of fertilizer. There's flooded rice paddy fields, and that water actually breeds all kinds of bacteria, and those bacteria produce methane gas,' said eco-dietitian nutritionist Mary Purdy. Purdy said the most planet-friendly alternative is just eating a bunch of different grains. 'The wheat, corn and soy world is very, very familiar to us because we've been seeing it. It's been heavily marketed. When was the last time you saw a commercial for millet or buckwheat?" she asked. Diverse diets, Purdy said, incentivize biodiverse agriculture, which is more resilient to erratic weather — a hallmark of climate change — and makes healthier soil. Fruits and vegetables When it comes to produce, minimizing impact is less about choosing between foods and more about buying based on the way that food was grown. Conventionally grown produce 'very likely is using pesticides, fertilizer, and maybe more water because the soil isn't healthy,' said Purdy. Purdy said organic labels, such as Regenerative Organic Certified, indicate those foods had a smaller climate impact when they were grown. The tradeoff is that organic food has a lower yield, so it requires more land use and is often more expensive. Local and 'in season' foods also have a smaller climate impact, but not just for one of the reasons you may be thinking of: emissions from international shipping. Every day, thousands of large ships transport goods, including produce, around the world, and the fuel they use is heavily polluting. However, "it's mostly those local emissions on trucks that are actually impactful, not the international shipping emissions," Springmann said. Also, food grown nearby tends to be grown in a way that fits with the local climate and is less harmful to the environment. "We're not trying to grow oranges in some place in a greenhouse,' Purdy said. Butter and oil Plants win out over animals, again. Vegetable oils are less impactful than butter or lard. Springmann also said tropical oils are healthiest in moderation, such as those from coconuts or palms, because they have a higher fat content. Plus, palm oil is associated with deforestation. As for nut butters, almonds might be a great option for limiting carbon emissions, but they require a lot of water. One study out of Tulane University found that a serving of peanuts has an emissions footprint similar to almonds but 30% less impact on water use. Don't waste food Throwing less food away might sound obvious, but roughly a third of food grown in the U.S. is wasted. Meal planning, freezing leftovers and checking the fridge before heading to the grocery store all help cut waste. 'The climate impact, the embedded water use, all of the labor and different aspects that went into producing that food, that all gets wasted if we don't eat it,' Blackstone said. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at