4 major climate records broken in 2021

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in 2021 were beatenState of the Global Climate 2021 [PDF] four records of climate change at once:

• Record high concentration of greenhouse gases: in 2020, their concentration reached 413.2 ppm (parts per million) and continues to grow: as of April 2022, it is 420.23 ppm. This is the highest value in the history of human existence, the last time the global level of carbon dioxide consistently exceeded 400 ppm about 4 million years ago, when global temperatures were about 3°C ​​warmer than today.
• Record ocean acidity: The surface pH of the open ocean is now probably the lowest it has been in 26,000 years. A huge amount of anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans. Emissions react with seawater, making it more acidic, threatening ecosystems and coasts. Decreasing ocean pH also shows that the seas are losing their ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.
• Record high sea level
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  : Global mean sea level rose by an average of 4.5 millimeters per year between 2013 and 2021—double that between 1993 and 2002. This is bad news for coastal communities, which have also become more vulnerable to tropical cyclones.
• Record ocean temperature: The upper 2,000 meters of ocean water have warmed significantly over the past two decades and temperatures are expected to continue warming in the future. Also, heat now penetrates to deeper levels than before.

On top of these four records, the report highlights a notable uptick in extreme weather, including extreme heat, floods, droughts and hurricanes that occurred in 2021, causing catastrophic economic losses of billions of dollars and leading to problems with food, water and people's safety in some regions.

The WMO report also confirms that the past seven years have been the warmest on record. observations, and the global average temperature in 2021 was about 1.11°C warmer pre-industrial level.

Independent climate scientists, commenting on the report, called it "terrifying" and "gloomy", but not particularly surprising, given that alarm bells have been heard for several decades. Humanity needs to reduce carbon emissions by stopping the use of fossil fuels and reducing deforestation. Otherwise, we can expect that we will feel the effects of climate change more and more often.