The 2010s were the hottest decade ever recorded, as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels soared to record levels. That’s according to a new report based on data from NASA, NOAA and other agencies, which found global surface temperatures surged by more than 1 degree Celsius — or about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit — above pre-industrial levels. 2019 was the planet’s second-hottest year on record, surpassed only by 2016. This is climate scientist Omar Baddour of the World Meteorological Association. 

Omar Baddour: “We have noticed many extreme events — heat waves, floods — that have impacted — droughts — that have impacted people around the world in terms of immigration of people because of drought, in terms of internal displacement because of floods, and in terms of mortality because of heat waves, such as in Europe, in Asia, in North America. Wildfires have also been one of the most noticeable events during 2019, even in areas where fires are very rare, like in the Arctic region.”