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During the past 10,000 years (until the mid 1850s) the average global surface temperature has been relatively constant at 14°C. If greenhouse gases were not present in the atmosphere the average global surface tempera- ture would be as low as -19°C. As a result of human activity over the last 150 years there has been a major increase in the release of greenhouse gases into our at- mosphere. Earth's average temperature is rising - by 2100 it may be somewhere between 16 and 20°C - leading to major changes in wind and rainfall patterns.