However, as often occurs in science, the research by Arrhenius and Chamberlin was largely forgotten for decades until the North American Drought of 1988 sparked significant interest in global warming. According to Wikipedia, the North American Drought was one of the worst episodes of drought ever recorded, resulting in nearly $60 billion (adjusted for inflation, $120 billion in 2014 US dollars) in damage and record-setting heat waves that killed approximately 4,800 to 17,000 people. At its height, the drought affected nearly 45% of the land in the US.
When scientist James E. Hansen testified that the drought could be “explicitly attributed” to global warming thus began a debate that would pit two groups of people against each other: the pro-science individuals who believe that the Earth is indeed warming and the climate change deniers, individuals who are still unconvinced by the data. Consequently, global warming and climate change has moved from the realm of science and into the arenas of economics and politics.
Still, scientific papers clearly demonstrate that global surface temperatures have risen primarily due to human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases. And in research published this week, scientists have found that 2014 was the hottest on Earth since record keeping was first instituted in 1880. According to the New York Times, extreme heat blanketed many parts of the world, including the ocean surfaces (except in Antarctica), which provided the energy needed for last year’s Pacific storms. As Michael H. Frielich, director of Earth sciences at NASA told the Times, “Climate change is perhaps the major challenge of our generation.” It can also have dire consequences for human health.
In contrast to the unusual heat in most areas of the world, parts of the U.S. East recorded below-average temperatures in 2014. However, some scientists believe that such temperatures are an example of extreme weather patterns that are an indirect consequence of global warming.
Still, in an interview, Professor of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville John R. Christy warned the Times that 2014 surpassed other years by “only a few hundredths of a degree, well within the error margin of global temperature measurements.” He continued that the Earth was on a “warmish plateau,” thus the numbers recorded for 2014 are not terribly surprising. As well, temperature measures taken from satellites did not record 2014 as a record, though the numbers were close. (Scientists have noted that the satellites likely record atmospheric temperature, which differs from ground and ocean-surface measurements.)
But some scientists are taking no chances and are sounding their alarms. As Michael E. Mann, a climate scientist at the Pennsylvania State University told the Times, “It is exceptionally unlikely that we would be witnessing a record year of warmth, during a record-warm decade, during a several decades long period of warmth that appears to be unrivaled for more than a thousand years.”
The implication? Humans are burning fossil fuels and the Earth is suffering for it. In order to ensure the health of our planet, politicians, journalist and scientists will need to extract themselves from various lobbying organizations in order to understand the scientific literature in order to make informed decision not just about today, but about tomorrow and the days afterwards.
(Photo courtesy of frankieleon)
A bunch of liberal propaganda to try and keep hard working REAL Americans from getting jobs. Sure makes sense there’s global warming when it’s been so cold this winter. Just look for yourself and you know it’s a liberal Obama lie.
A typical Fox news consumer who has swallowed hook, line and sinker. Maybe if you actually read what scientists have to say (and not cherry pick) you would know that everything you just said is the opposite of the truth.
Solid science. ESTIMATED 5°F increase in earth temperature with a + or – 5°F accuracy. It probably took a dozen PHD’s to come up with this ESTIMATE.
You can’t see beyond your own backyard where it happens to be cold. What about the remaining 99.999% of the world? How exactly is climate change keeping REAL Americans from getting jobs? And what proof do you have based on your own extensive research that this is a “liberal Obama lie”?
How can you in your tiny mind connect global warming with “keeping real americans from getting jobs?” Tell me how that works. EXPLAIN to me, a REAL american, how there is any connection whatsoever, then I’ll tell you how global warming is a conservative lie intended to keep fairies from riding unicorns.
Where I live was one of the coolest years ever (north Louisiana).
We didn’t have a single day in triple digits and the year before we had many days well over 100.
Don’t confuse your local area for overall trend. Climate change disrupts normal weather patterns and some places will be cooler while others will be hotter than normal. The overall temperature of the earth is hotter even if you happen to be in an area that wasn’t quite as hot as normal.
Global warming is a myth. When next year is hotter than this year, this year will no longer be the hottest day on record. This proves that any so-called global warming naturally fixes itself over time.
Hottest on record? No, not in a long shot. In fact, 135 cold records have been broken in only the last month. When will these idiots stop outright lying? They cannot be trusted to report if the sky is blue or red.
This articles admits that it was a warm year on average but it did not necessarily make the record high of all time and the extra temperature rise that we experienced is within the margin of error in measuring. It can’t “officially” be the hottest year if it’s not definitely the hottest year.
We’ve only been accurately observing temperatures for about 100 years and the assumption is that man is CO2 is the reason for seemingly warmer temperatures. On a short term scale, it may seem like the temperatures should be consistent. But the sun has approximately an 11 year cycle with sunspots, meaning every 10 years it goes from hot to cool and back to hot again. When we think back 5 years, we wonder what’s happened to our climate because of the changes. But because of the global warming claims, we usually think back only when the temperatures get hot and not cold, so it’s really just once a decade. Surprise, surprise, it gets intense when the sun is in its peak cycle for energy output.
yes, the Earth used to be cooler on man’s map of time (which is tiny). But it wasn’t the industrial revolution which marked the sudden increase in temperature. It was actually back in the dark ages when the Earth suddenly started to get warmer. Suddenly, it became easier to grow crops and for humans to survive because of longer seasons, and so man flourished. 1000 years later, after a few sudden cold periods (1700’s) we’re complaining about it getting warmer again.
You can’t set before 1900 as the standard and then state that because 2000 is warmer than 1800, that we have caused it by increasing the concentration of CO2 from some ppm to a slightly higher ppm in concentration. In 1700 is was unusually colder than before and in 1900. What does that tell you? Something we did before increasing CO2 levels increased temperature too? If the Earth is so sensitive that a tiny change in CO2 levels causes it to suddenly get unbearably hot, I do not understand how plant life ever came to be in a planet that started with high concentrations of CO2. Think about it. First came the plants, then came the animals. Plants flourished because CO2 levels were high. Then animals came along because oxygen levels were high and are still high. Wouldn’t plants have completely died out from the extreme temperatures of the Earth if high CO2 levels cause severe global warming? Plus, when plants aren’t there to convert sunlight energy into energy to grow as opposed to more heat to the planet, you’d think the planet would be completely unbearable to life.
The point is that CO2 can’t possibly do anything in trace amounts. Maybe it does in high concentration, but I even doubt it would do much on a large scale. This article states the word “believe” a lot from the scientists. It’s all opinions and only a lot of long-term data can show us what’s really going on, maybe. There’s too many external factors to assume that this one thing could be the reason.
Reading through these comments is just painful. It’s very clear that some people have no clue what they are talking about and are just spreading tired talking points. It is a fact, not opinion, that the over recent decade temperatures have been warming. I don’t care about how the sky looks in your backyard or that you felt last winter was the coldest. The majority of the scientific community has already agreed that we, HUMANS, are a major contributor to the increased production of CO2.
Extremely painful. It’s as though if they repeat the lies often and loud enough it will make it true.
Your reply IS painful, and not helpful in anyway. Further, just because your ‘FACT’ that humans produce CO2 doesn’t mean it IS causing global warming. There are now ideas, that the global cooling is on the horizon! It has nothing to do with global warming, but our axis in relationship to the sun.
Now, could man be causing global warming? sure its possible, but going after fossil fuels, autos, or guns won’t solve the root problem of over-population. Crack the population problem, and your global warming trifle is history!
As I understand it, Nasa’s numbers are 58.45 up to 58.46. Insignificant if you consider that the last ice age is still ending. But then, consider the source.
If there is ice at the poles, we are in an ice age. First comes the melt, and then the world drought, while the ice will re-gather at the poles. We’ll see this event soon enough. Then the ice will march over the land, what most people call the ice age.
I studied this in the 1970’s, nothing new here. The point is that mankind’s activities have accelerated this process. Today’s weather wasn’t due until 2,100 AD.
To the GOP types: Climate change will create whole new industries, including jobs. Maybe even a real one for you.
Not one commentor has mentioned the demise of our race? I think that is the subject of the article. Must be a self evident thing: Can’t focus on an article, how can we focus on the weather? Save the Earth? The bananas? OMG MY IPOD WILL FREEZE! F this S I’m going to Mars!
Has anyone stop to think about all the volcanoes “polluting” “our” precious blue skys. One super volcanic eruption is greater than all the Human carbon activity.
How about all the under sea volcanoes that are too many to count that “scientist” guess that there are about 10,000 actively erupting.
If you could send back into time a “Global Warming Expert”, they would more than likely throw a bucket of water onto a caveman’s campfire and yell, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? !!YOUR GOING TO MELT THE GLACIAL ICE SHEETS COVERS SEATTLE TO NEWYORK CITY!!!