Last seven years were hottest years on record

According to the yearly data issued by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, the last seven years have been the seven warmest on record worldwide (C3S).

According to the C3S data, the yearly average temperature was 0.3 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 reference period and 1.1-1.2 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial level of 1850-1900.In 2021, Europe saw the hottest summer on record. It also recorded the occurrence of a variety of extreme weather phenomena, including a Mediterranean heatwave and devastating flooding in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and elsewhere. Summers between 2010 and 2018 were the prior hottest on the continent.

Also read: Year 2017 remains one of the hottest year on record

In comparison to prior extremely warm years, the first five months of 2021 saw comparatively low temperatures worldwide. Monthly temperatures, on the other hand, were regularly among the fourth highest on record from June through October. Temperatures were close to 0.9 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the previous 30 years (1991-2020).

The west coast of the United States and Canada, north-eastern Canada, and Greenland, as well as huge portions of central and northern Africa and the Middle East, have the highest above-average temperatures.

The previous seven years have been the warmest on record, according to NASA.Accuweather/wikipedia

The coldest temperatures were recorded in western and easternmost Siberia, Alaska, the central and eastern Pacific, as well as most of Australia and sections of Antarctica, all of which coincided with La Nina conditions at the start and close of the year.

"With the warmest summer in Europe, heatwaves in the Mediterranean, and record-breaking high temperatures in North America, 2021 was yet another year of severe temperatures. The previous seven years have been the warmest on record, according to NASA "In a statement, Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, stated.

"These occurrences serve as a clear warning that we must alter our habits, take deliberate and effective actions toward a sustainable society, and seek to reduce net carbon emissions," said Buontempo.

Also read: Glaciers in Alaska Melting due to Climate Change

Furthermore, the C3S stated that atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations continued to grow in 2021, with carbon dioxide (CO2) levels hitting an annual global column-averaged record of 414 ppm and methane (CH4) levels reaching an annual record of 1,876 ppb.

Globally, wildfires emitted 1850 megatonnes of carbon, with fires in Siberia causing the most of the emissions. Although the trend since 2003 has been dropping, this was somewhat higher than last year (1,750 megatonnes of carbon emissions).

"Carbon dioxide and methane levels continue to rise year after year, showing no signs of slowing down. These greenhouse gases are the primary causes of global warming. We can only make a genuine impact in our battle against the climate crisis if we make committed efforts backed up by observational data "Director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, Vincent-Henri Peuch. (IANS/PR)

(Keywords: hottest years on record, wildfires, Siberia, Climate change, greenhouse gases, methane, heatwaves, NASA)