It might be hard to believe with the snow falling outside but 2010 was globally the hottest year on record, according to the Met Office.
Despite the coldest start to the year in Britain for 30 years and the recent freeze, the world as a whole has been 0.94F (0.52C) warmer than the 30 year average of 57.2F (14C).
The national weather service said it was equal with 1998, when an El Nino in the Pacific made the world warmer.
This time the weather pattern in the southern oceans has actually cooled the world, meaning the high temperatures are more likely than ever to be as a result of man made global warming. The cooling pattern known as La Nina will increase into next year making it slightly cooler than recent years. But again, because the level of global warming is so high, 2011 is still expected to be warmer than average.
Click source to read more CLIMATE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE from Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent in Cancun
Updated below with comments by Stephen Wilde
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