30-year-old global temperature predictions close to spot-on

Layzej writes: The Register reports on a 30 year old paper published in Science in 1981 that projected global mean temperatures up to the year 2100. "When the 1981 paper was written, temperatures in the northern hemispheres were declining, and global mean temperatures were below their 1940 levels. Despite those facts, the paper's authors confidently predicted a rise in temperature due to increasing CO2 emissions." The prediction turns out to be remarkably accurate — even a bit optimistic. The article concludes that the 1981 paper is "a nice example of a statement based on theory that could be falsified and up to now has withstood the test."