Positive trend on emissions amid record heat

MARRAKESH, Morocco — Global temperatures are soaring toward a record high this year, the U.N. weather agency said Monday, while another report showed emissions of a key global warming gas have flattened out in the past three years.

The weather agency’s preliminary data through October showed world temperatures, boosted by the El Niño phenomenon, are 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels.

Environmental groups and climate scientists said the report underscores the need to quickly reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases blamed for warming the planet.

[...] the authors of the study cautioned it’s unclear whether the slowdown, mainly caused by declining coal use in China, is a permanent trend or a temporary blip.

The study, published in the journal Earth System Science Data, says global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry is projected to grow by just 0.2 percent this year.