Warmest Years On Record Since 1880

Warming of the earth’s climate has been felt in land and ocean surface temperatures. Atmospheric temperature of the earth has increased due to climate change. Global warming has caused ice and glaciers to melt. Warming trends accelerated from 1900 through 1940 and again in the 1970s. An average measured increase of 0.07° Celsius was detected for every decade from 1880 and an even higher increase of 0.17° Celsius for every decade from 1970 onward. Temperature anomalies are records of the world’s average surface temperature that are representative over large areas of 621 square miles each. The year 2015 set the record for the warmest in the average world temperature by 0.90° Celsius above the average 20^th Century temperature of 13.9° Celsius. It was even higher by 0.16° Celsius than the 2014 average world temperature. It is the highest recorded for any 12-month period.

Causes of Global Warming

One of the major factors that increases climate change is solar radiation imbalances which happen when oceans absorb surplus energy that can not escape the earth’s atmosphere, on the other hand, more energy is getting into the atmosphere resulting in an imbalance that warms the earth. Another factor that can trigger global warming comes as external forces caused by greenhouse gases, volcanic eruptions, solar luminosity, and variations in the earth’s orbit patterns.

Warmest Years on Record

As per records, the year 2015 was the warmest year since 1880, followed by the years 2014, 2010, and 2013. The El Nino phenomenon also contributed to the warming trend in global temperatures as seen in 1997 and 1998, and 2015, three individual years when the El Nino was the strongest which marked the largest margins that broke the annual temperature records of previous years. The year 2015 was the warmest ever, since 1880, with a temperature anomaly of 0.90° Celsius. The El Nino phenomenon was also strongest during that year. In 2014, the temperature anomaly was 0.74° Celsius. But in 2010, the temperature anomaly was 0.70° Celsius. The year 2013 had a temperature anomaly of 0.66° Celsius. In 2005, the temperature anomaly was 0.65° Celsius. The years 1998 and 2009 were a tie with an anomaly of 0.63° Celsius. In 2012, the anomaly was 0.62° Celsius. Then a tie in 2003, 2006, and 2007 at 0.61° Celsius anomaly. The year 2002 had a temperature anomaly of 0.60° Celsius. The years 2004 and 2011 were also tied with a temperature anomaly of 0.57° Celsius.

Could There Be a Future Without Devastating Global Warming?

Mitigation efforts are available to lessen the worsening climate change by a combination of many factors. These actions are crucial in reversing the climate change that has been affecting world weather since the age of industrialization. Energy conservation, reforestation, renewable energy, and lower carbon economies are some of the ways to reverse the trend. Some have discussed adaptation to global warming (essentially making the best of it), while others have suggested climate engineering. Although both ideas are new, experts have warned against both ideas as they could bring more harm than good. As many ideas are put forward but little is done, climate change and global warming affects more people and countries. Mitigation failure would result in a future world of inundated cities, unstable infrastructures, negative food crop production, overall health degradation, impact damages to economy, and extreme weather disturbances affecting all aspects of life.