The temperature was 1.75 degrees above pre-industrial levels. This makes January the 18th month of the last 19 with a global average temperature of more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
The temperature was on average 0.79 degrees above the average for January during the years 1991-2020.
The long-term goal of the Paris Agreement is to keep the global temperature increase well below 2 degrees with a target of 1.5 degrees to limit the damage and losses that climate change is expected to cause.
Samantha Burgess, deputy head of Copernicus, says in a press release that January is surprising as record temperatures continue despite La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean, which usually have a temporary cooling effect on global temperatures.
