Study Dismisses 'Hiatus' in Global Warming, Says Temperatures Up

An apparent slowdown in the pace of global warming in recent years may be an illusion based on skewed data, according to a study on Thursday that found no break in a trend of rising temperatures.

In 2013, the U.N. panel of climate experts reported a "hiatus" in warming since about 1998, despite rising man-made emissions of greenhouse gases.  That heartened skeptics who say the risks of climate change have been exaggerated.

The new U.S. study in the journal Science, based on a re-analysis of worldwide temperature data, found no pause in the warming blamed by most climate experts for producing heatwaves, downpours and higher sea levels.

"There is no discernible ... decrease in the rate of warming between the second half of the 20th century and the first 15 years of the 21st century," experts led by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wrote.

The rate of temperature rise from 2000-14 was 0.116 degree Celsius (0.209 Fahrenheit) a decade, almost identical to 0.113C (0.203F) a decade from 1950-99, they wrote.

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