Green Beat

All the latest in environmental issues

- Words by Lisa Guy

Why the world’s oceans are heating faster than ever

The rate of ocean warming has more than quadrupled in the past 40 years, rising from 0.06°C per decade in the late 1980s to 0.27°C per decade today, a new study reveals. Published in Environmental Research Letters, the study helps explain record-breaking ocean temperatures in 2023-2024. Lead author Professor Chris Merchant likens it to a bathtub: “In the 1980s, the hot tap was running slowly. Now it’s gushing, and the only way to slow warming is by cutting carbon emissions.” The rapid heating is driven by Earth's growing energy imbalance, with more solar energy being absorbed than is escaping into space. This imbalance has doubled since 2010 due to rising greenhouse gases and reduced sunlight reflection. With oceans absorbing heat at an accelerating rate, scientists warn that warming over the next 20 years could surpass the past 40. Cutting fossil fuel use is critical to slowing climate change.

Source: Environmental Research Letters