Global land temperature anomalies 1880-2023

Since 1880, the annual global land temperature anomaly has fluctuated, showing an overall upward tendency. In 2023, the global land surface temperature stood at 1.81 degrees Celsius above the global average between 1901 to 2000. This was the highest annual temperature anomaly recorded during the period in consideration. Anomalies in global ocean surface temperature followed a similar trend over the same period of time.

Man-made change

The Earth's temperature increases naturally over time as the planet goes through cyclic changes. However, the scientific community has concluded that human interference, particularly deforestation and the consumption of fossil fuels, has acted as a catalyst in recent centuries. Increases in the unprecedented number of natural disasters in the past few decades, such as tropical cyclones, wildfires and heatwaves, have been attributed to this slight man-made increase in the Earth's surface temperature.

End of an ice age?

Although a one- or two-degree anomaly may not seem like a large difference, changes in the ocean and land temperatures have significant consequences for the entire planet. A five-degree drop triggered the last major ice age – the Quaternary Glaciation – over 20,000 years ago, which technically is still continuing today. This ice age is in its final interglacial period, and it will not officially end until the remnants of the final ice sheets melt, of which there are only two left today, in Antarctica and Greenland.