Last seven years warmest on record, says WMO report

What is the News?

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has released the State of the Climate report 2021.

What is the purpose of the State of the Climate report 2021?

The State of the Climate report provides a snapshot of climate indicators including temperatures, extreme weather events, sea level rises and ocean conditions.

What are the key findings of the State of the Climate report 2021?

Temperature: 2021 will be between the 5th and 7th warmest year on record and 2015 to 2021 will be the seven warmest years on record.

2021 is less warm than in recent years due to the influence of a moderate La Niña at the start of the year. 

Sea Level Rise: Global sea-level rise has accelerated since 2013 and has reached a new high in 2021 due to continued ocean warming and ocean acidification.

Extreme Events are becoming a norm: The report has listed some of the extreme events that have been experienced around the world this year:

• It rained – rather than snowed – for the first time on record at the peak of the Greenland ice sheet.
• A heatwave in Canada and adjacent parts of the USA pushed temperatures to nearly 50 °C in a village in British Columbia.
• Death Valley, California reached 54.4 °C during one of the multiple heatwaves in the south-western USA.

Source: This post is based on the article “Last seven years warmest on record, says WMO report” published in AIR on 2nd November 2021.