A new report shows that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere had reached 390 parts per million last year - its highest level for at least 800,000 years - proving that human activities are driving climate change.
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WASHINGTON: Last year tied with 2005 as the warmest year on record for global surface temperature, U.S. government scientists said in a report on Wednesday that offered the latest data on climate change.
The Earth in 2010 experienced temperatures higher than the 20th century average for the 34th year in a row, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
Overall, 2010 and 2005 were 0.62 Celsius above the 20th century average when taking a combination of land and water surface temperatures across the world, it said. Those two years were also the highest in temperature since record-keeping began in 1880.
Record won't stand long
"If the warming trend continues, as is expected, if greenhouse gases continue to increase, the 2010 record will not stand for long," said James Hansen, the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS).
Last year was the wettest on record, NOAA said citing Global Historical Climatology Network which made the calculation based on global average precipitation, even though regional patterns varied widely. When it came to hurricanes and storms, the Pacific Ocean saw the fewest number of hurricanes and named storms, three and seven respectively, since the 1960s.
But the Atlantic Ocean told a different story, with 12 hurricanes and 19 named storms, which include tropical storms and depressions, marking the second highest number of hurricanes on record and third highest for storms.
Shows proof of climate change
The analysis also tracked weather changes that contributed to massive floods in Pakistan and a heat wave in Russia, saying an "unusually strong jet stream" from June to August was to blame. "The jet stream remained locked in place for weeks, bringing an unprecedented two-month heat wave to Russia and contributing to devastating floods in Pakistan at the end of July," it said.
Expert Bob Ward at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at London School of Economics and Political Science said the U.S. data shows proof of climate change.
"These new figures show unequivocally that the Earth is warming and its temperature is at record levels," Ward said.
Beyond Belief
How can anyone including me believe what is being printed here? This is the most ridiculous article yet on so called "global climate change". Propaganda issued by the government who wants to raise taxes and create new taxes based on research like this is not credible anymore.
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Wow. That comment is so insightful and informative. I'll be sure to ignore everything I hear from the US government, NASA, the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO and high impact, peer reviewed science journals in the future because, clearly, they are not credible anymore.
Hey maybe we should meet up and talk about area 51 and the mind control drugs they keep adding to the water supply. We should probably wear some aluminium foil on heads though in case the sattelites are watching.