Global Temperatures Get Hot, Hot, Hot

The year 2002 was the second hottest since record keeping began in the 1880s. The global average temperature climbed to 14.52 degrees Celsius. The nine warmest years on record have occurred since 1990, and scientists expect that the temperature record set in 1998 will be surpassed by a new high in 2003.

Scientists have linked the warming trend that accelerated in the twentieth century to the buildup of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gasses. By burning fossil fuels, people released some 6.44 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere in 2002. With less than five percent of the world’s population, the United States is the single largest source of carbon from fossil fuels—emitting24 percent of the world’s total.

Source:

Carbon Emissions and Temperatures Climb, Vital Signs 2003, pp. 40-41.

Worldwatch Links:

Vital Signs Fact of the Week Archive
Vital Signs 2003 press release
Take action: Vital Signs 2003, What You Can Do
More research from Worldwatch

Additional Resources:

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: http://www.ipcc.ch/