From sizzling temperatures to Messi and Ronaldo and pensioners in space, here are some of the most significant records struck in 2021. - Hottest month - July 2021 was the hottest month globally ever recorded, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says. And wildfires in Siberia, North America and around the Mediterranean caused record levels of CO2 emissions in July and August, the EU s Earth monitoring service says. - Record gas prices - As economies reopen from their Covid-induced slumber firing heightened gas demand, prices in Asian, European and British gas hit record peaks. Europe s reference Dutch TTF gas price hit 187.78 euros per megawatt hour.