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2014 was the hottest year on record.

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The finding was announced today in a new report

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from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.

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Each year the institute produces a global temperature analysis

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using readings from weather stations around the world.

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The map, seen here, shows long-term changes

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in Earth’s temperature compared to a 30-year baseline.

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Red, orange and yellow are warmer areas.

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Blue is colder.

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Since temperature records began in 1880,

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the global average has increased by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

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and that might not seem very much but in terms of the climate,

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it’s actually quite a big deal.

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Scientists expect global and regional fluctuations in temperature

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from year to year due to changing weather patterns.

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In 2014, the mid-western U.S. experienced a cold winter,

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but parts of western U.S. hit record-high temperatures.

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But when looking at decades worth of data,

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the ranking of 2014 as the hottest year

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reinforces the long-term trend of rising global temperatures.

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A trend driven by the increase of

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carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

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Carbon dioxide levels are increasing because

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we’re taking carbon out of the ground mainly as coal,

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oil or as natural gas and we’re burning it.

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When you burn carbon you produce carbon dioxide,

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which contributes to the planet’s greenhouse effect.

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And as we continue to increase that

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we’re going to continue to see warming

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and more records being broken,

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not every year but on a pretty regular basis.

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