Recently a report was made public by Copernicus Climate Change Service, which is a European Union programme. The report found that, 2021 was the fifth-hottest year on the Earth.

Key Findings of the report

• As per report, last seven years have been the warmest on record. 2021 was ranked fifth among those 12-month spans because of continued rise in greenhouse gas emissions.
• Scientists warn that, rise in greenhouse gas emissions could propel the Earth to suffering irreversible damage.
• Report found that, mean global temperature was between 1.1 to 1.2 degrees Celsius higher in 2021, as compared to pre-industrial levels. The temperature was in the range of 2 to 2.2 degrees.
• Scientists note that, average temperature rise surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius could result into permanent damage to the Earth and have huge detrimental environmental impacts.

Hottest Summer in Europe

2021 was another year of extreme temperatures and hottest summer in Europe. There were unprecedented high temperatures in North America and heatwaves in the Mediterranean. In Europe, devastating floods were observed, fuelled by heavy rainfall. Sicily, in Italy, experienced the hottest temperatures in recorded history in Europe.

Scenario in North America

Several regions in North America and Northeast Canada experienced temperature anomalies in 2021.  Temperatures were atypically warm during the beginning of the year as well as during the fall. For North America, heatwave caused June to be the warmest on record.