Introduction

Understanding the long-term trends in global temperatures is essential for grasping the phenomenon of climate change. Since the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, human activities have significantly influenced the Earth’s climate by emitting greenhouse gases and other pollutants into the atmosphere.

It is generally believed that this has resulted in a measurable warming of the planet, with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems, societies, and economies worldwide. Graphing the average temperatures of the planet since 1800 provides a clear visual representation of this warming trend, based on empirical data collected over centuries. Through the analysis of historical temperature records, scientists can discern patterns and identify consistent upward trends, demonstrating the undeniable impact of human-induced climate change.

# Load and transform data
temp_global_tbl <- read.csv(file = "GlobalTemperatures.csv")

data_tbl <- temp_global_tbl %>%
    filter(year(dt) >= "1800") %>%
    select(dt,LandAverageTemperature) %>%
    mutate(dt = dt %>% ymd(),
           year = year(dt)) %>%
    group_by(year) %>%
    mutate(yrly_avg_temp = round(AVERAGE(LandAverageTemperature), 1),
           label_text    = str_glue("{year} - {yrly_avg_temp}°C")) %>%
    ungroup() %>%
    distinct(year, yrly_avg_temp, label_text)

# Calculate average temperature over the last 50 years
avg_temp_last_50_years <- data_tbl %>%
  filter(year >= max(year) - 49) %>%
  summarise(avg_temp = mean(yrly_avg_temp))

# Calculate the change in average temperature between 1850 and the most current year
change_in_temp <- data_tbl %>%
  summarise(change_temp = mean(yrly_avg_temp[year == max(year)]) - mean(yrly_avg_temp[year == 1850]))

Annual Global Average Temperatures Graphed by Year:

Conclusions

It is clear that Earth’s temperatures are rising to unprecedented levels since the Industrial Revolution. The question of what part we are playing and what, if anything, we can or should do about it at this point remains unanswered. But the the Earth is unquestionably warming.