2014 was Earth’s hottest year ever

Last year was Earth’s warmest on record, bolstering the argument that humans are altering the planet’s climate by burning greenhouse gas-emitting fuels, according to a pair of analyses by two major US agencies.

Separate studies by Nasa, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that with the exception of 1998, 10 of the warmest years on record have occurred since 2000.

The reports come at the start of a year when representatives of about 200 governments will meet in Paris to try to agree on a deal to limit global warming to avoid floods, droughts, heatwaves and rising sea levels blamed on increasing emissions of greenhouse gases, which result from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil.