According to European Union scientists, 2021 was the world’s fifth hottest year on record. Also, levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere reached new highs in 2021.
EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) released a report on Monday. The last seven years have been the world’s warmest “by a clear margin” in data dating back to 1850. The average global temperature in 2021 was 1.1-1.2C above 1850-1900 levels.
2020 and 2016 were the hottest years on record.
Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries agreed to strive to keep global temperature rise below 1.5C, which scientists say would avert the worst effects. That would necessitate halving emissions by 2030, but they have charged higher so far.
The long-term warming trend has continued as greenhouse gas emissions impact the planet’s climate. Many of the extreme weather phenomena that swept the globe in 2021 were exacerbated by climate change. From floods in Europe, China, and South Sudan to wildfires in Siberia and the United States.
Stark Reminder
“These events are a stark reminder of the need to change our ways, take decisive and effective steps toward a sustainable society and work towards reducing net carbon emissions,” C3S director Carlo Buontempo said.
CO2 and methane, the two main greenhouse gases, continued to rise globally, reaching new highs in 2021. CO2 levels in the atmosphere increased by roughly 2.4 parts per million from 2020 to 414.3 parts per million in 2021, according to experts.
Methane levels, a particularly potent greenhouse gas, have risen in the previous two years, according to C3S. But the reasons for this remain unclear. Methane emissions come from a variety of sources, including oil and gas production, farming, and natural sources such as wetlands.
Provisional data suggest that worldwide CO2 emissions increased by 4.9 percent in 2021 after a brief decrease in 2020. It was due to the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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2021: world’s fifth hottest year effects
A warm March and exceptionally chilly April damaged fruit crops in nations like France and Hungary. Last summer was Europe’s hottest on record, according to CS3.
A Mediterranean heatwave sparked major wildfires in countries like Turkey and Greece in July and August. Sicily established a new European temperature record of 48.8C, which is still being confirmed.
More than 200 people died in Western Europe in July as a result of devastating flooding caused by severe rain. Climate change, according to scientists, has increased the likelihood of floods by at least 20%.
Floods in China’s Henan province killed over 300 people in the same month. There was a record-breaking heatwave in California and then came the second-largest wildfire in the state’s history. Thereby, destroying land and spewing toxins into the atmosphere.