global temperature news stories on Newser

2010 Tied for Hottest Year Ever

Kevin Spak — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 08:50:26 CST

Last year was a hot and wet affair, tying 2005 for the warmest year on record and standing alone as the year with the most precipitation, according to the National Climatic Data Center, which has records dating back to 1880. The earth’s average temperature rose to 58.12 degrees Fahrenheit,...

So Far, 2010 Is Warmest Year Ever

Kevin Spak — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 09:29:11 CDT

The first half of 2010 was the hottest on record, according to federal data released yesterday. From January to June, the average global temperature was 57.5 degrees F, which is 1.22 degrees above the 20th-century average and higher than 1998’s first-half record. We’ve also already had the most...

Climate Change Doom Looms for 85% of Amazon

Rob Quinn — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:40:38 CDT

Climate change may be a bigger threat to the Amazon rainforest than all the chainsaws in the world, the Guardian reports. New research predicts a global temperature rise of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit—widely believed to be the best-case scenario even if carbon emissions are slashed—would kill off up...

Global Warming Changes Thoreau's Walden

Nick McMaster — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:33:49 CDT

While living at Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau collected detailed data on the plant species native to Concord, Mass. Scientists studying climate change have compared those records to present-day biodiversity—and found chilling evidence of global warming’s effects, the Boston Globe reports. 27% of the species Thoreau documented are gone,...

Sun Sets on Solar Global Warming Theory

Colleen Barry — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 07:29:57 CDT

A theory that global warming is caused by increased solar output is bunk, according to climate-change scientists. Although the world has grown hotter over the last 20 years, solar activity has actually dropped, the BBC reports, and an international panel concluded that greenhouse gases are 13 times more responsible for...

At G8, Bush Hangs Tough on Greenhouse Gas Goals

Max Brallier — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 22:16:00 CDT

The G8 summit convened today, with President Bush still holding out on long-term greenhouse gas emissions goals. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's proposal includes hard targets which would cut emissions in half by 2050 and limit global temperature change to an increase of 3.6 degrees F. The plan also includes...

Winter Sets Warmth Record

Heather McPherson — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 23:05:15 CDT

This winter was the warmest ever recorded, bumping the previous high of 2004 in a crowded field: The ten warmest winters all fell within the past thirteen years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which calculates this average global temperature from land and ocean readings, concludes that the worldwide climate...