Record
2015 may have been the warmest year on record, but it seems the month of May just managed to beat last years temperatures. In fact, this May has been the hottest ever recorded—which means it’s likely that 2016 will actually beat 2015 and become the hottest year.
There’s an obvious trend here, with 2014’s temperatures being beat by 2015, and then 2016 smashing 2015’s records. And as climate change continues to advance, it's clear that we’re truly bound for a hotter world, one where each year beats the one that came before (oh, and in before the “scientists are adjusting global temperature records and lying” people).
Reports released by NASA cite that May was 0.93°C (1.67°F) warmer than the 1951-1980 average for the month.
This report comes after February and March set the record for the most anomalously warm months. The data was based on results from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
99 Percent
Experts assert that 2016 has a 99 percent chance of becoming the warmest year on record. Current data is dependent on how the second half of this year is going to go, given that the coming La Niña tends to depress global temperatures, whose effects are expected to arrive by 2017.
As the heat is largely caused by carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gasses, nations continue to make an effort to limit emissions and maintain warming under 2°C (4°F) by the end of the century; with further discussions of aiming for 1.5°C (3°F).
Whether or not we will be able to meet these goals remains to be seen.
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