Washington: Heat waves last year in Asia, Europe and Australia were influenced by human-caused climate change, but not all extreme weather events could be linked to global warming, scientists said Monday. A total of 16 extreme events -- including rain, flood, droughts and storms -- were analyzed in an annual report called, "Explaining Extreme Events of 2013 from a Climate Perspective," published by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. The events chosen for study do not represent the year as a whole, but rather those that had big impacts and were of scientific interest, said the peer-reviewed report, compiled by 92 scientists from around the globe. The most certain link between extreme weather and the burning of fossil fuels -- which spew carbon dioxide and contribute to mounting levels of greenhouse gases -- was seen in Australia. Five independent studies all found that human influence had substantially increased both the likelihood and severity of heat waves in that country.

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