Early 2025, Global Temperature Increase of 1.75 Degrees Celsius

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the global average temperature in January 2025 was 1.75 degrees Celsius (°C) higher than the average temperature during the pre-industrial era (1850-1900).

This is the third-highest temperature increase since the beginning of C3S records. Higher temperature increases were only recorded in December 2023, when the global average temperature rose by 1.78 °C, and in February 2024, with an increase of 1.77 °C.

C3S also stated that January 2025 was the warmest January ever recorded globally.

Previously, during the period 1990-2014, the anomaly or increase in the global average monthly temperature generally did not exceed 1 °C above the pre-industrial era.

However, since 2015, the increase has often exceeded 1 °C, and since mid-2023, the intensity has strengthened, with the global average monthly temperature consistently rising by 1.5 °C or more.

"January 2025 was the 18th month in the last 19 months where the global average surface air temperature was more than 1.5 °C above the pre-industrial period," C3S said in a press release on Thursday (February 6, 2025).

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, [link to article about drought threat] a global temperature increase of 1.5 °C could pose a drought threat to 951 million people.

If the temperature increase continues to rise, the threat will expand, with the number of people affected by drought potentially reaching 1.28 billion.

In addition to drought, the IPCC assesses that a global temperature increase above 1.5 °C could trigger environmental degradation, reduce agricultural production, and trigger socio-economic problems.