Scientists on Friday debunked a widely circulated news media report suggesting that recent record-high global temperatures were unrelated to climate change.

The report, which first appeared in The Mail on Sunday and was summarized in Breitbart News, the right-wing opinion and news site, cited incomplete data and drew incorrect conclusions, the scientists said.

Federal and international agencies have said that 2016 will likely be the hottest year on record, eclipsing the record set last year. In its report, The Mail on Sunday cited a recent decline in temperatures over land since the weather phenomenon known as El Niño ended this year, and said that El Niño, and not climate change, was responsible for the record heat.

But scientists said that while the recent El Niño did contribute to the record warmth, climate change played a major role, too.