"Cool" years today are hotter than "warm" years of the past

In 2024, the world was around 1.5°C warmer than it was in pre-industrial times. But temperatures haven’t increased linearly; there have been spikes and dips along the way.

Many of these spikes and dips are caused by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a natural climate cycle caused by changes in wind patterns and sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that affects global temperatures and climate.

There are two key phases of the ENSO cycle: La Niña, which causes cooler global temperatures, and El Niño, which brings warmer conditions. The world cycles between El Niño and La Niña phases every two to seven years. There are also “neutral” periods between these phases where the world is not in either extreme.

As you can see in the chart, global temperatures during recent La Niña years were hotter than El Niño years just a few decades before. “Cool” years today are hotter than “warm” years not too long ago.