Researchers say new evidence casts doubt on the idea that global warming has "slowed" in recent years. A US government laboratory says the much talked about "pause" is an illusion caused by inaccurate data. Updated observations show temperatures did not plateau, say National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) scientists.
The warming rate over the past 15 years is "virtually identical" to the last century, they report in Science. Dr Thomas Karl, of Noaa, who led the new analysis, said: "We would hope that it would inform the general public that the temperature today really is continuing to warm."
Commenting on the study, Dr Ed Hawkins, climate scientist at the University of Reading, said: "This suggests that the much-discussed recent slowdown in global temperatures is far less pronounced than previously thought."