China in 2021 recorded an average surface temperature of 0.97 degrees Celsius more than usual, the highest since 1901, according to an official blue paper on Climate Change in China (2022) released by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Wednesday.

The past 20 years have been the warmest in China since the early 1900s. From 1951 to 2021, the annual average surface temperature in China showed a significant upward trend, with a warming rate of 0.26 degrees Celsius per decade.

The blue paper also mentioned that extreme weather events like heatwaves and heavy precipitation in China are becoming more frequent and more severe.

From 1961 to 2021, extreme heavy precipitation events in China showed an increasing trend. Since the late 1990s, extreme high temperature events have increased significantly, and the average intensity of typhoons landing in China has increased.

Amid global warming, the sea level along China's coast has also shown a fluctuating rise. From 1980 to 2021, China's coastal sea level rise rate has been 3.4 millimeters every year, and China's coastal sea level in 2021 was 84 millimeters higher than the average from 1993 to 2011, the highest since 1980.

Global warming continues, said the blue paper. The average global temperature in 2021 was 1.11 degrees Celsius higher than in the pre-industrial era, making 2021 one of the seven hottest years on record.

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