Paris: The European Union's climate monitoring service said that the last eight years were the warmest on record.
Average temperatures across 2022 are also the fifth warmest year since records began in the 19th century. The Copernicus Climate Change Service said the slew of natural disasters influenced temperatures. Even with the cooling influence of a La Nina pattern since 2020, climate change has pushed the temperature up.
Both India and Pakistan witnessed a two-month-long spring heatwave with temperatures well above 40 degrees Celsius in 2022. Pakistan was soon hit by a flood that affected a third of the country and 33% million people. France, Britain, Spain, and Italy also set new average temperatures last year. Europe as a whole endured its second hottest year ever, reported AFP. The continent was hit with heatwaves and severe drought. The Middle East, China, Central Asia, and northern Africa also saw unprecedented warmth.
The annual report of Copernicus Climate Change Service said that European temperatures have increased by more than twice the global average over the past 30 years. The region showed the highest rate of increase of any continent on the globe. "These events highlight that we are already experiencing the devastating consequences of our warming world."
Experts think the rising temperatures show no signs of slowing. The Vostok station in East Antarctica reached minus 17.7C (0.14F). It is the warmest ever measured in its 65-year history. Antarctica sea ice also reached its lowest minimum extent in its 44-year satellite record in February.