NASA blames hot temperatures on CO2
2012 was hottest year on record
NASA says 2012 was the hottest year on record, but nowhere is the threat of rising temperatures greater than in Florida.
NASA places the blame for rising temperatures on ever-higher levels of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide.
The new analysis from NASA compares worldwide temperatures with the average from the mid-20th century.
In its graphic representation of temperature changes, earlier years show more blue for cooler temperatures. After the year 2000, orange and red dominate, especially in northern regions. The 10 hottest years on record have all been since 1998.
The planet is warming, according to NASA scientist Gavin Schmidt.
"The reason it's warming is because the public is pumping increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere," Schmidt said.
Carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is more than a third higher now than it was in 1880. It traps heat, retaining the sun's warmth, melting glaciers and raising sea levels. Higher sea levels mean that storms like Hurricane Sandy, which did $25 million in beach damage to Brevard County, will do even more damage in the future.
The climate dice are now loaded, NASA's James Hansen said.
"Some seasons still will be cooler than the long-term average, but the perceptive person should notice that the frequency of unusually warm extremes is increasing," said Hansen.
2012 was the hottest year ever for the United States and the ninth-hottest for the whole planet.
The last year in which temperatures were cooler than the 1950-to-1980 average was 1976.