The chances of a record-hot year without manmade climate change? About 0.01 percent.

(Image credit: iStock)

last updated 25 January 2016

Mankind is about to have that much tougher a time shirking the blame for recent global heat records, thanks to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports. Researchers' statistical analysis reveals that there's just a 0.01 percent chance that the recent slew of record-breaking temperatures can be attributed to nature. "Natural climate variations just can't explain the observed recent global heat records, but manmade global warming can," researcher Stefan Rahmstorf told The Guardian.

Of the 15 hottest years on a 150-year-long record, 13 have occurred since 2000, and 2015 was recently declared the hottest year ever recorded. "It has led to unprecedented local heatwaves across the world, sadly resulting in loss of life and aggravating droughts and wildfires," Rahmstorf said of the recent heat's impacts. "The risk of heat extremes has been multiplied due to our interference with the Earth system, as our analysis shows."