The last seven years have been the hottest on record, according to EU satellite data

According to fresh statistics from the EU’s satellite system, the last seven years have been the hottest on record.

As per the Copernicus Climate Change Service, 2021 was the sixth warmest year on record, with record heat in several areas. Furthermore, the concentration of warming gases in our atmosphere has increased.

To combat climate change, governments have pledged to restrict the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Scientists, on the other hand, warn that time is running out.

The costs of rising temperatures in terms of the environment, human health, and the economy are already being felt around the world.

The summer in Europe was the warmest on record, while temperature records in the western United States and Canada were shattered by several degrees. In July and August, massive flames destroyed practically entire towns and killed hundreds.

According to Copernicus data, 2021 was the fifth-warmest year on record, slightly warmer than 2015 and 2018. According to the agency, the past seven years have been the hottest seven years on record by a wide margin.

The average temperature in 2021 was 1.1–1.2 degrees Celsius higher than it was 150 years ago. According to the EPA, temperatures were comparatively low at the start of the year compared to recent years, but by June, monthly temperatures were at least among the warmest four ever recorded.

The west coast of the United States and Canada, north-east Canada and Greenland, huge portions of north and central Africa, and the Middle East all had above-average temperatures.

According to Copernicus, the concentration of two gases that significantly contribute to climate change increased in the earth’s atmosphere in 2021.

Carbon dioxide levels reached 414.3 parts per million last year and are expected to rise at a similar rate in 2020.

Scientists say it’s critical to lower methane levels since it’s more potent than CO2 but lasts much longer in the atmosphere.

According to Vincent-Henri Peuch, Director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, the increasing quantities of these gases show no signs of slowing down.

Other agencies, such as Nasa and the UK’s Met Office, will release further statistics about temperatures in 2021 in the coming days.