Last Seven Years Reported As Hottest on Record

By: Natalie Shomali, Staff Reporter, The Pawprint

EU scientists say that the last seven years have been the hottest on record, with the temperature being 1.2C above pre-industrial levels. 

2021 was reported as the fifth-warmest year by The Copernicus Climate Change Service, and said to have record-breaking heat levels in certain regions. 

Europe experienced it’s warmest summer, and western US and Canada broke temperature records by five degrees. Intense wildfires also broke out in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. 

The Copernicus data comes from Sentinel satellites which monitor the Earth’s orbit, and from measurements collected on ground level.

Analysis of these measurements revealed that greenhouse gas emission levels continuously increased during 2021, warming the climate. This includes carbon dioxide, and methane. 

Carlo Buontempo, the director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, states that “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.”

Scientists say that at the moment, there are no indications that the trend of warming temperatures will stop.