Top Five

NASA announced yesterday that 2006 was the fifth-warmest year of the last century. 2005 tops the list, followed by 1998 -- a strong El Nino year. NASA's top climatologist, Dr. James Hansen, said that "2007 is likely to be warmer than 2006, and it may turn out to be the warmest year in the period of instrumental measurements. Increased warmth is likely this year because an El Nino is underway in the tropical Pacific Ocean and because of continuing increases in human-made greenhouse gases."