Leading scientists have rejected claims like Mr. Bessent’s, and noted that natural factors like the sun, volcanic eruptions and orbital cycles would be cooling the earth if not for human activity. Instead, about 200 years ago, after the start of the Industrial Revolution, the direction of global temperatures reversed and began rapidly warming.

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Average global temperatures are expected to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels within the next decade. That would unleash dire impacts that include increased and more intense heat waves and heavy precipitation, melting of the world’s glaciers and ice sheets and a higher risk of severe wildfires.