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January 2025 Breaks Records As the Warmest On Record, Despite La Niña Transition

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

February 7, 2025

The year 2025 has started with a record-breaking January, marking the warmest January on record, continuing the trend of extreme global temperatures despite the shift to the cooler La Niña weather pattern.

Key Facts

January 2025 continued the pattern of unusually high global temperatures, with the average temperature being over 1.5°C higher than pre-industrial levels in 18 of the last 19 months, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
The global temperature for January was 1.75°C higher than pre-industrial levels.
This warm streak continues even as the world shifts from the previous warming El Niño phase, which contributed to making 2024 the hottest year on record, to the cooling La Niña phase. La Niña is characterized by the cooling of equatorial Pacific waters, typically limiting the global temperature rise.

Important Quote

“The fact that we are still seeing record temperatures outside the influence of El Niño is a bit surprising,” said Samantha Burgess, strategy manager at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

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Key Story

El Niño peaked more than a year ago, and Copernicus estimates that La Niña has not yet fully developed, placing the world in a neutral state between the two phases.

Despite La Niña’s cooling effect, Burgess notes that it might not be enough to temporarily curb global temperatures. Other factors contributing to the heat include extreme temperatures in other ocean basins and, most importantly, the ongoing greenhouse gas emissions, which are the primary driver of global warming.

“The biggest factor contributing to climate warming is the burning of fossil fuels,” says Burgess.

Scientists from Berkeley Earth have projected that 2025 is likely to be the third warmest year on record, following 2024 and 2023. Although La Niña may cause some cooling, uncertainty remains about how it will develop.

Globally, average sea surface temperatures for January 2025 were the second highest ever recorded for the month, only slightly surpassed by January 2024.

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Cyprus Emerges As A Leading Household Consumer In The European Union

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

June 30, 2025

Overview Of Eurostat Findings

A recent Eurostat survey, which adjusts real consumption per capita using purchasing power standards (PPS), has positioned Cyprus among the highest household consumers in the European Union. In 2024, Cyprus recorded a per capita expenditure of 21,879 PPS, a figure that underscores the country’s robust material well-being relative to other member states.

Comparative Consumption Analysis

Luxembourg claimed the top spot with an impressive 28,731 PPS per inhabitant. Trailing closely were Ireland (23,534 PPS), Belgium (23,437 PPS), Germany (23,333 PPS), Austria (23,094 PPS), the Netherlands (22,805 PPS), Denmark (22,078 PPS), and Italy (21,986 PPS), with Cyprus rounding out this elite group at 21,879 PPS. These figures not only highlight the high expenditure across these nations but also reflect differences in purchasing power and living standards across the region.

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Contrasting Trends In Household Spending

The survey also shed light on countries with lower household spending levels. Hungary and Bulgaria reported the smallest average expenditures, at 14,621 PPS and 15,025 PPS respectively. Meanwhile, Greece and Portugal recorded 18,752 PPS and 19,328 PPS, respectively. Noteworthy figures from France (20,462 PPS), Finland (20,158 PPS), Lithuania (19,261 PPS), Malta (19,622 PPS), Slovenia (18,269 PPS), Slovakia (17,233 PPS), Latvia (16,461 PPS), Estonia (16,209 PPS), and the Czech Republic (16,757 PPS) further illustrate the disparate economic landscapes within the EU. Spain’s figure, however, was an outlier at 10,899 PPS, suggesting the need for further data clarification.

Growth Trends And Economic Implications

Eurostat’s longitudinal analysis from 2019 to 2024 revealed that Croatia, Bulgaria, and Romania experienced the fastest annual increases in real consumer spending, each growing by at least 3.8%. In contrast, five member states, with the Czech Republic experiencing the largest drop at an average annual decline of 1.3%, indicate a varied economic recovery narrative across the continent.

This comprehensive survey not only provides valuable insights into current household consumption patterns but also offers a robust framework for policymakers and business leaders to understand economic shifts across the EU. Such data is integral for strategic decision-making in markets that are increasingly defined by evolving consumer behavior and regional economic resilience.