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History of Global Surface Temperature Since 1880









​National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Our planet is warming. The global annual temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.07°C (0.13°F) per decade since 1880 and over twice that rate (+0.18°C / +0.32°F) since 1981.
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature
Highlights: 
  • In 2019, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.71°F (0.95°C) above the twentieth-century average of 57.0°F (13.9°C), making it the second-warmest year on record. 
  • The global annual temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.07°C (0.13°F) per decade since 1880 and over twice that rate (+0.18°C / +0.32°F) since 1981.
  • The five warmest years in the 1880–2019 record have all occurred since 2015, while nine of the 10 warmest years have occurred since 2005.
  • From 1900 to 1980 a new temperature record was set on average every 13.5 years; since 1981, it has increased to every 3 years.
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ARCTIC WARMING REPORT (December, 2018, Update July,2020)
 
Scientists know the Arctic is getting warmer. But just how warm? A new report from NOAA says the polar area is going through a multi-year stretch of unparalleled warmth "unlike any period on record." Reductions in sea ice and losses in wildlife populations there are the result of climate change caused by humans, the peer-reviewed report says. And the warming of the Arctic affects a lot more than the ice caps. The report says less sea ice has changed the weather in the US and Europe because ice influences ocean currents and the jet stream. 
Update NOAA 2020: The Greenland Ice Sheet is believed to be past the point of no return, where the ice build up will not recover from the current melt off.
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GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS  On a global scale, the key greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are:
  • Carbon dioxide (CO2): Fossil fuel use is the primary source of CO2.  CO2 can also be emitted from direct human-induced impacts on forestry and other land use, such as through deforestation, land clearing for agriculture, and degradation of soils. Likewise, land can also remove CO2 from the atmosphere through reforestation, improvement of soils, and other activities.
  • In August, 2020 the following measurement was reported by NOAA. (Concentration above 402 parts per million considered above safe levels per Paris Agreement)    UPDATE: Last month's global average concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) was about 414 parts per million (ppm).
    ⬆️ about 24 ppm from July 2010
    ⬆️ about 45 ppm from July 2000
    ⬆️ about 60 ppm from July 1990
  • Methane (CH4): Agricultural activities, waste management, energy use, and biomass burning all contribute to CH4 emissions.
  • Nitrous oxide (N2O): Agricultural activities, such as fertilizer use, are the primary source of N2O emissions. Fossil fuel combustion also generates N2O.
  • Fluorinated gases (F-gases): Industrial processes, refrigeration, and the use of a variety of consumer products contribute to emissions of F-gases, which include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
Source: Source: IPCC (2014) based on global emissions from 2010. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  via the Environmental Protection Agency U.S.A. January 2017
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THE PARIS AGREEMENT   Note: Under the Trump Administration, the U.S. has formally taken the steps to complete its withdrawal from the Agreement effective November 2020, ironically after national elections. It appears the administration's intent is to increase fossil fuel exploration, mining & use; which would push U.S. emissions over the limits agreed upon for the health & safety of humankind.

The aim of the Paris Agreement  is described in Article 2, "enhancing the implementation" of the UNFCCC through: "
     (a) Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above
pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change;
     (b) Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production;
     (c) Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions & climate-resilient development."
​Countries furthermore aim to reach "global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible". The agreement has been described as an incentive for and driver of fossil fuel divestment. 
Note  Although Trump has formally withdrawn the U.S. from the Agreement, many American cities and states pledged to move forward.​