Washington (CNN) Not only did 2019 barely miss out on being the hottest year ever recorded on planet Earth, but it brought to a close the hottest decade ever, according to statistics provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday.

five hottest in the 140 years that we have been measuring the planetary temperature. The report from the two agencies notes that the past five years were thethat we have been measuring the planetary temperature.

The Earth's temperature is now 2 degrees warmer than it was, on mean, between 1951 and 1980 -- evidence of the relatively rapid heating and of the lack of efficacy of attempts to slow or curtail the temperature rise.

"We crossed over into more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit warming territory in 2015 and we are unlikely to go back. This shows that what's happening is persistent, not a fluke due to some weather phenomenon: we know that the long-term trends are being driven by the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," said NASA's Gavin Schmidt of the findings.

The starkness of the studies correlates with the rising number of people -- especially Democrats -- who see climate change as not just an issue but the issue of our times.