Nearly quarter of world’s population had record hot year in 2021, data shows

(The Guardian, 13 Jan 2022) Last year was sixth hottest ever recorded, scientists find World ‘warmer now than at any time in the past 2,000 years

Nearly a quarter of the world’s population experienced a record hot year in 2021, as the climate crisis continues to unleash escalating temperatures around the globe, according to new data from leading US climate scientists.

Last year was the sixth hottest ever recorded, with the global temperature 1.1C above the pre-industrial average, a new annual analysis from Nasa and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(Noaa) found.

“Science leaves no room for doubt: climate change is the existential threat of our time,” said Bill Nelson, administrator of Nasa. Nelson said that eight out of the top 10 hottest years have occurred in the past decade, which “underscores the need for bold action to safeguard the future of our country – and all of humanity”.

There were record-high temperatures in parts of northern Africa, south Asia and parts of South America last year, Arctic sea ice continued its decline and the oceans recorded yet another record year for heat content. “The oceans are storing a heck of a lot of heat,” said Russell Vose, a senior climate scientist at Noaa. “If it weren’t for the large heat storage capacity of the oceans, the atmosphere would’ve warmed a lot more rapidly.”

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The Guardian, 13 Jan 2022: Nearly quarter of world’s population had record hot year in 2021, data shows