Rising Temperatures on Land and Sea Made 2014 Hottest Year
High temperatures across most of the globe made 2014 Earth’s hottest year in records dating back to 1880, a government report showed.
The combined land and ocean temperature on the planet was 1.24 degrees Fahrenheit (about 0.7 Celsius) above the 20th-century average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationsaid in a statement. An independent analysis by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration also found 2014 to be the warmest on record.
Rising global temperatures can lead to higher ocean levels, disruptions to global agriculture, the spread of tropical diseases and a change in weather patterns, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
“Climate change is perhaps the major challenge of our generation,” Michael Freilich, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division in the Space Mission Directorate in Washington, said on a conference call with reporters.
The western U.S., parts of Russia, interior South America as well as most of Europe experienced record heat, NOAA said. Northern Africa, western Australia and parts of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans also were warmer.
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