Skip to Content
Climate change and energy

Yup, 2019 was the second-hottest year on record

January 15, 2020
A koala.
A koala.Photo by Cris Saur on Unsplash

It’s official: 2019 was the second-warmest year on record, and the 2010s were the hottest decade.

That’s according to a joint report Wednesday from NASA and the NOAA, which stressed that greenhouse-gas emissions from cars, power plants, and other human activity are the primary cause.

The details: The report added that warming has been particularly pronounced during the last five years, and that every decade since the 1960s has been hotter than the last.

A separate analysis released by Berkeley Earth on Wednesday came to the same broad conclusions. It found that the global mean temperature in 2019 was 1.28 °C (2.31 °F) above the average temperature of the late 19th century.

The hottest year in many places: In fact, last year was the hottest on record in 36 nations, including Australia, Hungary, Kenya, Thailand, and Vietnam, according to Berkeley Earth. Ditto for the continent of Antarctica. Still another study this week concluded that 2019 was the hottest ever for the world’s oceans, which have absorbed the majority of the planet’s warming to date.

Making the problem worse: Despite these rising temperatures and climate-driven extreme events, the world as a whole has continued to pump out ever more carbon pollution. Fossil-fuel emissions rose an estimated 0.6% last year, capping three straight years of growth, the Global Carbon Project reported in early December. Since carbon dioxide takes about a decade to reach its full warming effect, we’ve already locked in much more warming to come.

Deep Dive

Climate change and energy

How one mine could unlock billions in EV subsidies

The Inflation Reduction Act is starting to transform the US economy. To understand how, we tallied up the potential tax credits available as the nickel from a single mine flows through the supply chain.

Why hydrogen is losing the race to power cleaner cars

Batteries are dominating zero-emissions vehicles, and the fuel has better uses elsewhere.

This town’s mining battle reveals the contentious path to a cleaner future

The world needs to dig up far more minerals to meet climate goals. But mining poses environmental dangers that are bitterly dividing communities.

How virtual power plants are shaping tomorrow’s energy system

By orchestrating EVs, batteries, and smart home devices, VPPs can help make the grid cleaner and more efficient.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.