The heat stays on: Earth hits 6th warmest year on record

By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer

Two U.S. science agencies say 2021 was the sixth hottest year on record globally, part of a long-term warming trend. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Thursday released measurements showing how hot last year was. It wasn’t record hot, but the year’s 58.5 degree average is not much behind the record. The last eight years have been the eight hottest years on record. Last year, 1.8 billion people in 25 Asian, African and Middle Eastern nations had their hottest years on record. Scientists say heat-trapping gases from the burning of fossil fuels have warmed Earth about 2 degrees since the late 1800s.