Reported, but not much, has been the fact that 2007 was one of the warmest years on record in some places and THE warmest overall in the Northern Hemisphere.

CBS News reports..

January was the warmest first month on record worldwide 1.53 degrees above normal. It was the first time since record-keeping began in 1880 that the globe’s average temperature has been so far above the norm for any month of the year.

Furthermore..

U.S. weather stations broke or tied 263 all-time high temperature records, according to an Associated Press analysis of U.S. weather data.

In the UK things weren’t much different as the BBC reports..

Last year was the second warmest on record in the UK, according to figures released by the Met Office.

The average mean temperature across the UK was 9.6C - slightly cooler than in 2006, but continuing the recent trend towards warmer temperatures.

Since UK-wide records began in 1914, nine of the 10 warmest years have happened since 1989.

2007 was no exception despite a natural weather event known as La Nina, which usually reduces global temperatures.

The UK’s top 10 warmest years on record (in order) are 2006, 2007, 2003, 2004, 2002, 2005, 1990, 1997, 1949 and 1999.

Globally, there is a similar trend - the top 10 being 1998, 2005, 2003, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2001, 1997 and 1995.

Parts of Australia also had their hottest ever year.

Thrown in with all of this is the increasing prevalence of freak weather occurences. In 2007 these included…

• A cyclone in June in Oman and Iran
• A world record for the most rain in 72 hours
• the melting of arctic ice was far more extensive than usual
• South Afria getting a major snowfall
• A tornado in New York
• Floods trapped thousands in England

People woke up to all of this more in 2007, despite the campaign designed to stop them understanding it. Maybe in 2008 we can start to do something.

We must.