THE world is cooling, according to figures published by NASA on 10 February. Last year was cooler than 2003, which was cooler than 2002. And 1998 was warmer than all three.
Does that mean the Kyoto protocol, which came into force on Wednesday, is as redundant as climate sceptics say? It does not. Barring short-term variation, global temperatures are rising inexorably. 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004 were the hottest years on record. Nine of the 10 hottest years have been in the past decade. And global temperatures have already risen almost a quarter of a degree since the Kyoto protocol…
