A ranking of the warmest years in the past 150 reads 1998 followed by 2005, 2003, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2001, 1997, 1995, etc. The World Meteorological Organization says “the long-term upward trend of global warming…is continuing.” http://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/inf o_notes/info_44_en.html

1998 may simply be the climate equivalent of Bob Beamon, who smashed the world record for the long jump at the 1968 Mexico Olympics with a leap of 8.90 metres, 55 cms beyond the previous best. The overall trend for athletes has been towards longer jumps, faster sprints etc but every now and then someone comes along with an amazing performance: that doesn’t mean the underlying trend is reversed and we’re on the way to becoming snails. Mike Powell eventually broke the record by jumping 8.95 metres in 1991.

Temperatures in 1998 were boosted by a strong El Nino warming of the Pacific Ocean — a natural variation of the climate that added to the warming from greenhouse gases.

…Of course not many people admire 1998′s warmth while Beamon’s leap was fantastic. But the point’s the same: one exceptional event doesn’t make a trend.

Oh well, it’s a good move, maybe it’ll give them time to cool down for a few thousand years. They could spend more time building off shore drilling rigs and hating America.