health
Earth being ‘pushed beyond its limits’ as energy imbalance reaches record high
State of the Climate report finds Earth’s energy has moved dangerously out of balance, with oceans absorbing vast majority of trapped heat
TL;DR
- Earth is facing a record energy imbalance, leading to unprecedented ocean warming and extreme weather.
- The 11 hottest years on record have occurred between 2015 and 2025.
- Over 90% of excess heat is absorbed by oceans, which are warming at an accelerating rate.
- The Earth's energy imbalance has increased significantly, equivalent to many times human energy use.
- Surface temperatures are rising alarmingly, and breaching the 1.5C Paris Agreement target is considered inevitable.
- Consequences include faltering harvests, worsening dengue outbreaks, heatwaves, forest fires, and storms.
- Ocean impacts include rising sea levels, heatwaves, acidification, and locked-in consequences for thousands of years.
- A potential transition to El Niño conditions could further increase global temperatures.