2015 Was the World’s Warmest Year—and 2016 Might Be Even Hotter

Scientists from two government agencies confirmed on Wednesday that average global temperatures in 2015 were the highest in 136 years of record keeping, and the world is likely to see more of the same in 2016. The reason, emphasized NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt, is that excess carbon dioxide, created by both deforestation and burning fossil fuels for energy, is trapping heat in the atmosphere. “The trend over time is why we’re having a record warm year,” Schmidt, the director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told reporters on Wednesday. “There is no indication...