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The levels of global warming carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) in the atmosphere reached record highs in 2021, which was one of the hottest years in the world. This underscores the need for change, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Office (C3S) was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Globally, 2021 was the fifth hottest year in history, with an average temperature of 1.1-1.2C above the levels of 1850-1900. The last seven years have been the warmest in the world in history “by a clear margin”, said the European Union’s C3S in a report Monday.
As greenhouse gas emissions change the planet’s climate, the long-term warming trend continued and a record-breaking extreme weather hit the world last year – from floods in Europe, China and South Sudan to forest fires in Siberia and the United States, FOCUS reported.”These events are a vivid reminder of the need to change our approach, take decisive and effective steps towards a sustainable society and work to reduce net carbon emissions,” said Carlo Buontempo, Director of C3S.
Global levels of CO2 and methane, the main greenhouse gases, continued to rise, reaching record highs in 2021.
Atmospheric CO2 levels reached 414.3 parts per million (ppm) in 2021, about 2.4 ppm from 2020, C3S said.
C3S added that methane levels, especially powerful greenhouse gases, have jumped in the last two years, but the reasons for this are not fully understood. Methane emissions range from oil and gas production and agriculture to natural sources such as wetlands.
Europe is experiencing its hottest summer in history in 2021, after warm March and unusually cold April wiped out fruit crops in many countries, including France and Hungary.
In July and August, a Mediterranean heat wave sparked intense forest fires in southern countries, including Turkey and Greece. Sicily reported a new highest temperature in Europe of 48.8C, a record that awaits official confirmation.
More than 200 people died in July when torrential rains caused deadly floods in Western Europe (Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium). Scientists have concluded that climate change has made floods at least 20% more likely.
Again in the same month, floods in the Chinese province of Henan killed more than 300 people. In California, a record heat wave was followed by the second largest wildfire in the state’s history, destroying many forests and emitting huge amounts of air pollutants.
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