Nearly quarter of world’s population had record hot year in 2021, data shows

• Last year was sixth hottest ever recorded, scientists find
• World warmer now than at any time in the past 2,000 years'

Nearly a quarter of the world's population experienced a record hot year in 2021, as the climate crisis continues to unleash escalating temperatures around the globe, according to new data from leading US climate scientists.

Last year was the sixth hottest ever recorded, with the global temperature 1.1C above the pre-industrial average, a new annual analysis from Nasa and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) found.