Australian authorities warned people to stay indoors on Friday as a severe heatwave along the northwestern coast pushed temperatures to a blistering 50.7 degrees Celsius, hitting a high last seen 62 years ago. Climate scientists and activists have raised alarm bells that global warming due to human-driven greenhouse gas emissions, especially from fossil fuels, is close to spiraling out of control. The planet’s hottest years on record have all been within the last decade, with 2021 being the sixth-hottest, data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed this week.
