"The past decade was the hottest on record, government researchers announced on Wednesday, the latest sign of global warming’s grip on the planet. And 2019 was the second-warmest year ever, they said, just shy of the record set in 2016.
Analyses by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that global average surface temperatures last year were nearly 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the average from the middle of last century, caused in large part by emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from the burning of fossil fuels. That much warming means the world is far from meeting goals set to combat climate change.
“These trends are the footprints of human activity stomping on the atmosphere,” said Gavin A. Schmidt, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, which conducted the NASA analysis. “We know that this has been driven by human activities.”"
Henry Fountain and Nadja Popovich report for the New York Times January 15, 2020.
SEE ALSO:
"Climate Emergency: 2019 Was Second Hottest Year On Record" (Guardian)
"Second Hottest Year on Record Capped Warmest-Ever Decade" (Bloomberg)
"2019 Capped World’s Hottest Decade In Recorded History" (Washington Post)
"Fever Chart: Earth Had Its Hottest Decade On Record in 2010s" (AP)
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