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A nation slowly losing its cool

Globally, temperatures have risen over the past century, with July 2012 taking the spot as the hottest month on record in the U.S.

A nation slowly losing its cool

It's Earth Day, a time when Americans take a step back and look at the state of their world - and if you look at the numbers, it's a world that's losing its cool. We've had 28 straight years of warmer average temperatures, and July 2012 was the hottest month ever recorded in the continental US, with an average temp of 77.6F – 3.3 degrees above the 20th century average for July. Eleven of the twelve hottest years on record since 1880 were the most recent – 2001 to 2011.

Today’s infographic shows what other factors are observable along with higher temps worldwide. Dig into the range of views on climate change we’ve set up for you in “What Do Others Say?”  Then get busy in the comment thread below. What do you think is going on?

What do others say?

  • : National Geographic: “Melting Glaciers Mean Double Trouble for Water Supplies” More

  • : The Guardian: “When Sea Levels Attack!” More

  • : George C. Marshall Institute: “The Increase in Global Temperature: What it Does and Does Not Tell Us” More

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