5 climate change stories from 2016

    But there was more bad news to come. Research throughout 2016 detailed how rapidly the climate is changing. Here are five examples:

Temperatures dancing with limit: Scientists reported in July that temperatures are now hovering near targets set by a key world pact aimed at limiting the effects of global warming. They described fast-melting ice and rising temperatures as part of the ongoing story of climate change. 

Second lowest year for sea ice:  Arctic sea ice melted to the second lowest level on record, according to a NASA report in September. Researchers found 1.6 million square miles of ice after the long summer, a level equivalent to findings in 2007 -- the second-lowest yearly minimum.

Climate change could be fast, irreversible: In a dire warning, a research paper published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics predicted that “longevity of the carbon in the climate system and persistence of the induced warming may lock in unavoidable, highly undesirable consequences.” The evidence points to a global emergency, the authors asserted.

Global warming is already changing life: A study released in November showed that global warming caused by human activity has already taken a toll on nature, with 82 percent of 94 ecological processes showing signs of distress. Researchers documented how changes impact plant and animals and could threaten the food supply.

Extreme weather more common: The average number of tornadoes has risen since 1954, according to a study by researchers at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. The most extreme example: In 2011, extreme weather systems were responsible for 363 tornadoes. 

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