Science & Energy
Earth Is Hotter Than at Any Time Since Steam Engine Was Invented
- Five warmest years since pre-industrial era are all since 2015
- Climate change raised average temperatures 1.2 degrees Celsius
A car drives through thick smoke from bushfires in Bemboka, New South Wales, Australia, on Jan. 5.
Photographer: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The last five years on Earth have been hotter than at any time since the industrial revolution kicked off almost two centuries ago.
That’s the conclusion of Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which published data on Wednesday showing that global average temperatures since 2015 were some 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than when steam engines began powering industry. Last year was the second warmest on record after 2016.