NOAA and NASA announced today that 2016 was Earth’s warmest year since reliable instrument records began in 1880. Our planet’s ten hottest years have all occurred since 1998, we have now had three consecutive years of record-setting global heat, and the planet’s five hottest years on record have all occurred since 2010.
On the flip side, the earth’s annual global temperature has not been below the 20th century average since 1976. Furthermore, Earth’s twenty coldest years on record all occurred before 1930.
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As you can see on the graphic below, North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia all had a top-three warmest year on record, and Australia had its fifth warmest year on record.
As you can see below on the graph of annual global temperatures (relative to the 20th century average global temp) from 1880 to 2016, there is an unmistakable upward trend in temperature, with a notable acceleration since 1970. Not coincidentally, the mid to late 1800s was the start of the industrial revolution, which began a steady increase of heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere. It is indisputable fact that we humans have actually changed the composition of Earth’s atmosphere. And since the other two main factors that give our planet the average temperature it has (surface color and astronomical changes) have not changed, the only factor left is our atmospheric changes.
One last graph for you: this one below shows how much global annual temperatures were above or below average from 1980 through 2016. The El Nino years (which are warmer for the planet) are colored red, and the La Nina years (which are cooler for the planet) are colored blue. Notice that cooler LA NINA years today are warmer than EL NINO years were thirty years ago. This is another potent piece of evidence showing the global warming that we are experiencing.
If you want a more extensive non-political, non-advocacy education about global warming, check out the recording of my December climate change webcast here. It’s being lauded nationally as one of the best educations you’ll get on the subject.