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(14 Nov 2016) The U.N. weather agency says 2016 is set to break the record for the hottest year since measurements began in the 19th century. The World Meteorological Organization said Monday that preliminary data through October shows global average temperatures this year are 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. That's getting close to the limit set by the global climate agreement adopted in Paris last year. It calls for limiting the temperature rise since the industrial revolution to 2 degrees C or even 1.5 degrees C. This year's temperatures were boosted by the El Nino weather event. The previous hottest year was 2015. WMO said 16 of the 17 hottest years have occurred this century, with the only exception being 1998, which was also an El Nino year. Meanwhile, worldwide emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide have flattened out in the past three years, a new study showed Monday, raising hopes that the world is nearing a turning point in the fight against climate change. However, the authors of the study cautioned it's unclear whether the slowdown in CO2 emissions, mainly caused by declining coal use in China, is a permanent trend or a temporary blip. "It is far too early to proclaim we have reached a peak," said co-author Glen Peters, a senior researcher at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo. 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. That would mean emissions have leveled off at about 36 billion metric tons in the past three years even though the world economy has expanded, suggesting the historical bonds between economic gains and emissions growth may have been severed. The authors of the study attributed the slowdown mainly to a decrease in Chinese coal consumption since 2012. Coal is a major source of CO2 emissions. Chinese emissions were down 0.7 percent in 2015 and are projected to fall 0.5 percent in 2016, the researchers said, though noting that Chinese energy statistics have been plagued by inconsistencies. Several members of NGOs and associations gathered inside the COP 22 site to demand world leaders halt fossil fuel extraction. Dozens of people froze as a symbolic action. They are asking for the immediate freeze of all new fossil fuel projects globally. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/479241a59e0041966e94caecddb3a418 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork