Thread by @afreedma

[THREAD] Key points to think about re: the 2019 climate data released today by @noaa, @nasa, @metoffice & others.
*This was the 2nd warmest year, capping off the hottest decade and 5-warmest years on record. Story at: washingtonpost.com/climate-enviro… w/ @brady_dennis @JohnMuyskens 1/

One of the best measures of climate change is ocean heat content. The oceans are absorbing 93% of the extra energy pumped into the climate system.
* 2019 was the hottest year on record in the upper ocean (0-2000m).
* The top 5 hottest years? Yeah, each of the past 5. 2/

The globe is getting hotter faster than it used to.
* Since 1880, the annual global avg. temperature has increased at an avg. rate of 0.07 degrees Celsius (0.13 Fahrenheit), per @NOAA data.
* Since 1981, that rate has more than doubled. 3/

Compared to pre-industrial temps, the 2019 global average surface temperature was 1.15°C (or 2.07°F) above average.
*That's getting perilously close to the 1.5°C guard rail in the Paris Agreement... 4/

No land or ocean areas were record cold for in 2019. In contrast, 36 countries had their warmest year, including Australia. 5/

“Every decade that we’ve had since the 1960s has been warmer than the decade before it, and not by a small amount,” said @ClimateOfGavin 6/

In intvws for our story, scientists noted how unequivocal this data is. "When 2016 shattered the global temperature record, I hoped we wouldn’t be back there again for a decade or so. And here we are, knocking on that record in a non-El Nino year," said @coralsncaves 7/

"I fear what next year will bring to our doorsteps, let alone the next decade and beyond." @coralsncaves said. 8/

The takeaway message of all this is summed up by @hausfath, who said: “What happens in the future is really up to us." 9/9