- It is the first time in the modern era of global warming data that temperatures have blown past the previous record three years in a row.
- The data show that temperatures are heading toward levels that many believe will pose a profound threat to civilization.
Human-induced climate change has made it at least 160 times more likely that three consecutive years after 2000 would be record-setting, according to Michael E. Mann, a climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University and a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Third Scientific Assessment, which was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
His findings show that if human-induced climate change was not part of the equation, the amount of warming in 2016 have less than one-in-a-million odds of occurring.
“One could argue that about 75 percent of the warmth was due to human impact,” Dr. Mann said.
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