Figure 3 is a graph showing Global Surface Temperature anomaly in °C, relative to the 1961 - 1990 average, on the y or vertical axis (from -0.8 to +1.0) against year on the x or horizontal axis (1850 - 2015). Three similar data sets of global surface temperature anomalies are shown as line graphs: Met Office, NASA and NOAA. All three lines show an increase from around -0.3 °C in 1850 to 0 °C around 1940, increasing to + 0.8 °C by 2015.
The global mean temperature in 2016 and 2017 has remained at similar levels. So there seems to have been a shift in the climate narrative: the ‘pause’ button appears to have been replaced with ‘play’. Whether this is a long-term increase in warming or a brief fluctuation remains to be seen. Alternatively, entirely new stories about GMST may emerge.