At the time of the last very strong El Niño in 1998-99, globally averaged temperature records were being broken month after month. Although temperatures remained high over the next 14 years compared to twentieth century records, they were not as high as in 1998-99. Many global warming skeptics were quick to add perceived cooling to their arsenal of arguments. However, this was likely a false perspective. Earth’s temperatures rose, more or less steadily, throughout the second half of the 1900s, peaking with the very warm El Niño in 1999. After dropping slightly and leveling off in the 2000s, the warming has now returned with the present El Niño. Temperature records are falling as the world warms up again. Another leveling off period is likely over the next few years but this should not be taken as a sign that the climate has stopped warming. Scientists will continue to work on the details of future warming and impacts, but it is wrong to hold onto the notion that there is no warming.
