Scientists say that while La Niña conditions could emerge to slightly cool global temperatures in 2025, the planet is still warming at an alarmingly rapid rate.
00:00What are El Niño and La Niña and how could they impact the climate in 2025?
00:092024 was the hottest year on record, partly due to climate conditions known as El Niño.
00:16Scientists predict that 2025 won't be quite as hot because a new episode known as La Niña may emerge to cool temperatures.
00:25So what exactly are these weather patterns?
00:28El Niño, Spanish for the boy, and La Niña, the girl, are conditions in the Pacific Ocean that affect the weather across the globe.
00:36Trade winds in the Pacific tend to blow from east to west, pushing warm surface waters to the western Pacific.
00:43El Niño occurs when these winds weaken or reverse, making the waters in the eastern Pacific warmer than normal.
00:51In La Niña periods, the east to west trade winds become stronger, pushing warm waters further west and causing cold water to rise from the depths of the ocean, making sea surface temperatures cooler.
01:04So, global temperatures usually increase during El Niño and decrease during La Niña, although no episode is predictable.
01:13These episodes usually happen every 2 to 7 years and last 9 to 12 months.
01:19La Niña conditions could develop between now and February, according to the World Meteorological Organization, but are likely to be weak and short-lived.
01:29The organization's secretary general has said that even if La Niña does emerge, its short-term cooling impact will be insufficient to counterbalance the warming effect of global warming.
01:41The UK's Met Office has also said that the temperature predictions for 2025 look extremely high, considering that the La Niña phase should be driving temperatures down.
01:52It's predicting that 2025 will still be among the three warmest years on record.
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