Earth’s temperature has grown 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century.
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Not surprisingly, December 2015 was two degrees warmer than normal, beating the old record by more than half a degree. The previous record was set in 2014 – indicating that 2016 will be another record-breaking year. In December of last year, the average surface temperatures of land and oceans around the globe was the highest on record for any month in 136 years of record keeping, according to NOAA. NASA began studying global warming in 1988, which at the time was a record year for high temperatures.
According to the NOAA 2015 global temperatures data released on Wednesday, Jan.20, the Earth’s temperature a year ago surpassed 2014 by a whopping 0.29 degrees at 14.79°C or (58.62°F).
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released its Global Summary Information for November 2015, stating that is was the warmest November in history between 1880 to 2015, an average of 135 years.
Weather phenomena such as the current El Niño are one of the reasons 2015’s temperature was so high – and why it may increase again next year – although it doesn’t tell the whole story of why we’re seeing such record-setting temperatures.
NASA said that the temperature changes are largely driven by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere.
This marks “the fourth time a global temperature record has been set this century”, the report said.
In a statement, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said that climate change is a great problem in today’s world and the agency plays an important task on this matter.
Hot temperatures were observed in parts of northern, southern and eastern Europe as well as western Asia and a large section of east-central Siberia. “Last year’s temperature had an assist from El Niño but it is the cumulative effect of the long-term trend that has resulted in the record warming that we are seeing”.
However, they added that 2015 was “remarkable” even in the context ofEl Niño, and that the overall trend toward the warming of the planet was undeniable.
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If the world really wants to hold temperature increases to well below 2 degrees C, the target agreed to by more than 190 countries at climate talks in Paris last December, there is vital need to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
