Levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere hit record highs in 2021, which was one of the world's hottest years ever and underlined the need for change, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said.

Globally, 2021 was the fifth hottest year on record, with an average temperature 1.1-1.2C above 1850-1900 levels. The last seven years were the world's warmest on record "by a clear margin", the European Union's C3S said in a report on Monday.

As greenhouse gas emissions change the planet's climate, the long-term warming trend continued and record-shattering...