Anything is possible ... sea levels and climate was changing well before the invention of the internal combustion engine.
12,000 years ago, where I am sitting was covered by the Laurentide Glacier. When the Pilgrims landed in 1620, the glacier had already retreated. As far as I know, the Pilgrims didn't have coal stoves nor internal combustion engines to explain why the Laurentide Glacier retreated. Maybe lobster farts?