GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Highlights. Earth’s temperature has risen by an average of 0.14° Fahrenheit (0.08° Celsius) per decade since 1880, or about 2° F in total. The rate of warming since 1981 is more than twice as fast: 0.32° F (0.18° C) per decade.

Detailed explanation-2: -Concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are increasing in the Earth’s atmosphere (see the Atmospheric Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases indicator). In response, average temperatures at the Earth’s surface are increasing and are expected to continue rising.

Detailed explanation-3: -Earth’s average temperature has been steadily rising ever since humans started burning fossil fuels following Industrial Revolution leading to a rise in the level of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Detailed explanation-4: -Over both the last 140 years and 100 years, the best estimate is that the global average surface temperature has increased by 0.6 ± 0.2°C.

Detailed explanation-5: -Since 1880, average global temperatures have increased by about 1 degrees Celsius (1.7° degrees Fahrenheit). Global temperature is projected to warm by about 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7° degrees Fahrenheit) by 2050 and 2-4 degrees Celsius (3.6-7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100.