5 Charts That Explain 2014's Record-Smashing Heat; 2014 was the hottest year since record-keeping began way back in the nineteenth century, according to reports released Friday by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. According to NASA, the Earth has now warmed roughly 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, and most of that increase is the result of greenhouse gases released by humans. Nine of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2000.
Scientists react to warmest year: 2014 underscores ‘undeniable fact’ of human-caused climate change: “This is the first year since 1997 that the record warmest year was not an El Niño year at the beginning of the year, because the last three have been”
