US space agency NASA says 2022 was the fifth warmest year since observations began in 1880.

NASA scientists reported on Thursday that Earth's average surface temperature last year was 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This breached the 1-degree mark for the eighth year in a row.

The scientists attribute the warmer planet to a record volume of carbon dioxide emissions in 2022. Still, they say the heat may have been lowered by about 0.06 degrees due to La Nina -- a cooling of the sea surface off South America.

NASA says rising temperatures are making extreme climate events more frequent.

They cite the monsoon rains that devastated Pakistan last year, as well as a persistent severe drought in the United States.

Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said that with La Nina likely dissipating, this year will likely be even warmer than 2022.