2010 tied for warmest year on record: UN

A cooling centre set up in Metro hall in July of last year. (TARA WALTON/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

GENEVA — Last year tied with 1998 and 2005 for the warmest year on record, providing further evidence that the planet is slowly heating up, the UN weather agency said Thursday.

Arctic Canada took one of the biggest hits, with parts of the region experiencing their hottest years on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Eastern Canada was also “exceptionally” warm in December 2010, the agency wrote in a release.

The agency said average temperatures around the world last year were 0.53 Celsius above the 1961-90 mean.

“The 2010 data confirm the Earth's significant long-term warming trend,” said Michel Jarraud, the agency's top official, adding the 10 warmest years since records began in 1854 have all occurred since 1998.

WMO's figures are based on data collected by Britain's Meteorological Office, the U.S. National Climatic Data Center and NASA.

The recent warming has been especially strong in Africa, western Asia, Greenland and parts of the Arctic, according to the agency.

Arctic sea-ice cover in December 2010 was the lowest on record – 1.3 million square kilometers below the 1979-2000 December average, the agency said.

The weather was a different story in northern and western Europe, as it was “abnormally” cold, the agency said.

Central England experienced its coldest December since 1890, and temperatures in Norway and Sweden were as much as 10 C below normal.

The Geneva-based global weather agency also noted that last year's extreme weather — notably the heat wave in Russia and monsoon flooding in Pakistan — has continued into the new year.

It cited heavy floods in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Brazil and Australia as examples.

With files from Associated Press

The Kremlin wall is seen through heavy smog, caused by peat fires in nearby forests, in Moscow in August. (Alexander Natruskin/REUTERS FILE PHOTO)

Comments

[Bruce Sharp]

In my view, a single warm year may contribute to an overall upward trend (an indicator of global warming) but the single year itself doesn't indicate anything specific. BTW, I believe global warming is real and man-made but don't like to see the right conclusion drawn for the wrong reason(s).

[Climate Realist]

More misleading pap from the MSM on climate. Let's start with the picture. Doubtful it was even from this summer given that we had few times where the temperature went above 30 in Toronto let above above 35!

As to global temperature records, funny how there is no mention that other temperature indices including the more broadly used HADCRUT3 surface record and the more reliable and comprehensive satellite records show 1998 as the warmest year! Nope, just flog the indices which get to these higher temperatures via adjustments unrevealed to and unsubstantiated by the broader scientific community! Meanwhile the temperatures of the great southern oceans, the bellweather largest heat repository on the planet, have been on a cooling trend for almost 15 years!

http://oi55.tinypic.com/2qnxugi.jpg

As to "global warming" causes this "extreme" weather, nothing is mentioned of the inconvenient fact that the worst flooding in Australia occurred in the 1800's!

http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/brisbane-floods-2011.jpg

[Tony]

So what's new? The world has been warming up since the last ice age - you might remember those days, the ice covering where you live in Toronto was about two miles thick.

There were a few excursions in this waming progression, like the little ice age 350 years ago, when it got a bit cooler than it is now, but the trend has been generally upward.

2010 had an El Nino start, and so was warm - like 1998 - then the year ended with La Nina in full bloom, causing its usual rainy havoc on the west coast of the Americas and in Australia.... all predictable stuff - no need to blame humans, move on.

[William]

UN weather agency? If it's run like the rest of the UN it's opinions need to be taken with a very large grain of salt. There is no such thing as a global average temperature.

[John]

Climate changes, sea levels go up and down (I keep seeing documentaries on tv about ancient middle-east and African seaports that are now several kilometers inland) and glaciers advance and recede. The doomsayers in 2005 predicted many years of hyper-active hurricane seasons. Does it really mean anything, or are we just being overly concerned about it all?

[Regan]

1. The planet's climate is almost exclusively influenced by the sun.
2. 2010 saw record snowfall in 28 states, Alberta, Saskatchewan and over Europe.
3. Artic Ice has actually doubled since 2008.
4. Antarctica as a whole is gaining ice.
5. Glaciers in western Himalayas thickening and expanding.
6. Arctic sea-ice 500,000 sq km more than last year.
7. With the exception of a brief warm period about 8,200 years ago, the entire period from 1,500 to 10,500 years ago was significantly warmer than present.
8. Human activity accounts for around 3% of CO2.

There is most certainly climate change taking place, but I don't trust the WMO nor the UN.
There is a globalist agenda to sell global warming and then blame it entirely on human CO2 output in order to set-up globabl taxes and control our lives.

[Eve]

In reality, 2010 was the third warmest in this modern warming period, after 1998 and 2005. In North America, 2010 was the 94th warmest in this warming period. If we compare 1998, 2005 and 2010, to the Medieval Warm period, we are short by 4 C. The Roman Warm period was even warmer and the warm period before that, even warmer.
Since we have Liberals running our provincial government, we must pay for this warming, so electicity and heating fuels are now taxed at 13% and the rates for both have skyrocketed.
Our leaders seem to have forgotten we live in Canada and must heat our homes 10 to 11 months of the year.
But the joke is on them. We can leave and make them stay in this frozen tundra country.