The 15 years from 1998–2012 were the warmest on record at that time, but the rate of global surface warming was slower than it had been in the 2-3 decades prior thanks to several natural influences. Meanwhile, the ocean's heating imbalance continued to climb.
Has global warming stopped? That's what some people claim, based on global temperatures recorded since 1998. But, scientists say, not setting a new record high temperature each year doesn't mean the globe is cooling.