Oceans Feel the Heat From Impact of Climate Pollution

Oceans have absorbed the vast majority of the warming caused by burning fossil fuels and shielded societies from the full impact of greenhouse gas emissions.

- 

PARIS -

But this crucial ally has developed alarming symptoms of stress — heatwaves, loss of marine life, rising sea levels, falling oxygen levels and acidification caused by the uptake of excess carbon dioxide.

These effects risk not just the health of the ocean but also the entire planet.

By absorbing more than 90 percent of the excess heat trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases, "oceans are warming faster and faster," said Dr Angelique Melet, an oceanographer at the European Mercator Ocean monitor.

The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said the rate of ocean warming — and therefore its heat uptake — has more than doubled since 1993.

Average sea surface temperatures reached new records in 2023 and 2024.

Despite a respite at the start of 2025, temperatures remain at historic highs, according to data from the European Union's Copernicus climate monitor.