Global temperatures continued to rise in January 2024, marking the eighth consecutive month of record-breaking warmth. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that January was the hottest on record, both for land and ocean temperatures. This trend follows 2023, which was Earth’s hottest year in over 150 years. The primary drivers of this warming trend are human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, along with the current El Niño weather cycle. While scientists attribute most of the warming to human-induced factors, they are also exploring other potential contributors. Warmer oceans, in particular, can fuel extreme weather events like hurricanes and disrupt marine ecosystems. The intensity of recent underwater heat waves prompted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to enhance its system of ocean heat alerts. Despite the predictability of El Niño patterns in the past, its effects on regional temperatures are becoming less certain due to human-induced climate change.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/climate/2024-hottest-january-data.html