2020 has officially become the joint-hottest year on record, the European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service has confirmed.

The year, which ties with 2016, rounds off the hottest decade globally ever on record as the impacts of climate change intensify.

In 2016 the extreme heat was partly attributed to the end of an El Nio event, a huge ocean-atmosphere climate interaction which results in warming in sea surface temperatures across swathes of the Pacific Ocean.

2020 had no such event. In fact, the end of the year saw the development of its opposite La Nia which is usually associated with a cooling effect.

After an exceptionally warm winter and autumn in Europe, the continent experienced its hottest year on record in 2020, while the Arctic suffered extreme heat and atmospheric concentrations of planet-warming carbon dioxide continued to rise.

Scientists said the latest data underscored the need for countries and corporations to slash greenhouse gas emissions quickly enough to bring within reach the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement to avoid catastrophic climate change.