--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The simple fact is that, since the…" description: "\"The simple fact is that, since the beginning of this century, the average global temperature has flatlined; indeed, over the past 18 months it has fall..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d4/peter-lilley-53804_average_the-simple-fact-is-that-since-the-beginn_2038621.jpg" --- # The simple fact is that, since the beginning of this… ![“The simple fact is that, since the beginning of this century, the average global temperature has flatlined; indeed, over the past 18 months it has fallen back, and according to the satellite measurements of temperature, it is now basically back at the level it was in 1979, when such measurements…” quote by Peter Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d4/peter-lilley-53804_average_the-simple-fact-is-that-since-the-beginn_2038621.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d4/peter-lilley-53804_average_the-simple-fact-is-that-since-the-beginn_2038621.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d4/peter-lilley-53804_average_the-simple-fact-is-that-since-the-beginn_2038621.jpg) > “The simple fact is that, since the beginning of this century, the average global temperature has flatlined; indeed, over the past 18 months it has fallen back, and according to the satellite measurements of temperature, it is now basically back at the level it was in 1979, when such measurements started to be taken.” [Peter Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lilley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recent temperature data shows a pause in global warming, with a slight decline to late‑1970s levels. **In simple terms:** Global temperature has stopped rising and fell slightly. Key Takeaway Recognize climate trends may fluctuate; stay vigilant. Themes climate science policy uncertainty data Mood cautious analytical Type informative scientific When to use this quote - environmental reporting - policy making - educational curricula - media coverage Key Concepts climatology statistical analysis public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance short‑term data with long‑term climate goals? - What policies should adapt to variable temperature trends? A Different Perspective Short‑term fluctuations can mask long‑term warming trends. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1979 Measurements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1979-measurements-3782246/) [Average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fallen/) [Global Temperature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/global-temperature-406413/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Measurement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/measurement/) [Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months/) [Over the past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over-the-past/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Satellite Measurements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satellite-measurements-3782244/) [Satellites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satellites/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Temperature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperature/) [Temperature Basically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperature-basically-3782245/) [Temperature Flatlined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperature-flatlined-3782243/) ## Related quotes > [Each year we pump at least six billion tons of heat-trapping carbon into the innermost layer of our atmosphere, whose outer extent is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-gelbspan/each-year-we-pump-at-least-six-billion-tons-of-heat-trapping-carbon/) [Ross Gelbspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-gelbspan/) > [We are reaching the point where the temperature standstill is becoming the major feature of the recent global warm period that began in 1980.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-robert-whitehouse/we-are-reaching-the-point-where-the-temperature-standstill-is/) [David Robert Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-robert-whitehouse/) > [“Why in the decade following 1990, were the number of ground temperature stations selected to calculate global temperature reduced from the available 14,000 to a mere 4,000? •    ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-carlin/why-in-the-decade-following-1990-were-the-number-of-ground/) [Alan Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-carlin/) > [Earth has cooled since 1998 in defiance of the predictions by the UN-IPCC…The global temperature for 2007 was the coldest in a decade and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-keen/earth-has-cooled-since-1998-in-defiance-of-the-predictions-by-the-un/) [Richard Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-keen/) > [“The same kind of situation complicates many public debates, like that over global warming. Many scientists predict that altered atmospheric conditions will raise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/the-same-kind-of-situation-complicates-many-public-debates-like-that/) [Robert M. 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The reduction in global mean temperature in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-sylvester-jacoby/the-impact-of-the-kyoto-protocol-on-global-temperature-is-quite/) [Henry Sylvester Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-sylvester-jacoby/) > [Back in 2005, when I was Christopher Eccleston, we saw one of the largest increases on record, of CO2 in the atmosphere. Unless we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-tennant/back-in-2005-when-i-was-christopher-eccleston-we-saw-one-of-the/) [David Tennant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-tennant/) > [“What is the Paris Climate Agreement? 195 countries signed a pledge to keep global temperature rise below 2°C (3.6°F), and, if possible, below 1.5°C…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/what-is-the-paris-climate-agreement-195-countries-signed-a-pledge-to/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [The five-year mean global temperature has been flat for the last decade, which we interpret as a combination of natural variability and a slow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-five-year-mean-global-temperature-has-been-flat-for-the-last-2/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [“Global temperature and GDP are both rising, and each affects the other… We have to find the right balance between the two factors. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-lomborg/global-temperature-and-gdp-are-both-rising-and-each-affects-the-other/) [Bjorn Lomborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-lomborg/) > [The five-year mean global temperature has been flat for the last decade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-five-year-mean-global-temperature-has-been-flat-for-the-last/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [If you look at the last decade of global temperature, it's not increasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/if-you-look-at-the-last-decade-of-global-temperature-it-s-not/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) ## More by Peter Lilley > [For a theory to be scientific it must be capable of being refuted by the evidence. Given that we have had three decades of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lilley/for-a-theory-to-be-scientific-it-must-be-capable-of-being-refuted-by/) [Peter Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lilley/) > [Given that we are passing the climate change bill, which is based on the supposition that the climate is getting warmer, let me point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lilley/given-that-we-are-passing-the-climate-change-bill-which-is-based-on/) [Peter Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lilley/) > [The tendency of those committed to the theory of catastrophic man-made global warming to unquestioningly adopt the assumptions, at every stage, that maximise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lilley/the-tendency-of-those-committed-to-the-theory-of-catastrophic-man/) [Peter Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lilley/) > [Scientists would rather change facts than their theories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lilley/scientists-would-rather-change-facts-than-their-theories/) [Peter Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lilley/) > [I am a global lukewarmist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lilley/i-am-a-global-lukewarmist/) [Peter Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lilley/) [Explore all 6 Peter Lilley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lilley/) ## More Average quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [There were times last year when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-martinez/there-were-times-last-year-when-people-looked-at-the-scoreboard-and/) [Buck Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-martinez/) > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. 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