NASA has produced a fascinating animation showing how global temperatures have been changing since the late 19th century. You can really see things heat up starting in the 1970s.

2011 was the 5th warmest year on record, as NASA’s James Hanson noted: “We know the planet is absorbing more energy than it is emitting . . . So we are continuing to see a trend toward higher temperatures. Even with the cooling effects of a strong La Niña influence and low solar activity for the past several years, 2011 was one of the 10 warmest years on record.”