The past seven years have been the hottest ever

Copernicus records go back to 1979. Climate Change Service Like 2015 and 2018, 2021 was one of the hottest years, according to Copernicus data presented in a report on Climate Year 2021. However, the warmest summer in Europe was measured since records began – just before the summers of 2010 and 2018. The record temperature of 48.8 degrees in Sicily stands out in particular. It was 0.8 degrees above the previous European record.

In addition, the year 2021 was marked by severe weather events – such as floods that hit Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands hard in the summer. Wildfires are raging again on the west coast of the USA and Canada, and not only have they decimated areas of the land but also dramatically deteriorated air quality.

“2021 was another year of extremes, with the warmest summer in Europe, heat waves in the Mediterranean, not to mention unprecedentedly high temperatures in North America,” said Carlo Bontempo, Director of the European Service for Climate Change. “These events are an urgent reminder of the need to change the way we live, take decisive and effective steps towards a sustainable society and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

According to Copernican data, the average annual temperature last year was 1.1 to 1.2 degrees higher than in the pre-industrial period. At the Glasgow Climate Charter in November, the United Nations reaffirmed its intention to hold global warming at 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. So far, however, the states’ plans are not close enough.

Copernicus records go back to 1979. The Climate Change Service (C3S) also uses records from ground stations, balloons, planes, and satellites dating back to 1950.