Temperature across the planet was roughly 0.84 C above the 20th-century average
The numbers are in: Earth is still running a fever.
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their annual assessment of global temperatures and found that 2021 was the sixth warmes
KEY CONCEPTS
The global temperature analyses are in, with NASA ranking 2020 as the warmest year on record (tied with 2016), and NOAA ranking it as the second warmest (see methodology below). Combining their data, 2020 was 2.25°F (1.25°C) over the 1881-1910 baseline normal.
The top 10 warmest years on record have all occurred since 2000 this outsized frequency of record high global temperatures is another symptom of climate change.
Despite La Niña conditions emerging in the second half of the year, 2020 was still able to secure a spot as one of the two warmest years on record because we continue to emit greenhouse gases that warm our planet.