Climate Change / Global Warming Discussion

[Raffy.Roma]

President Joe Biden presents former VP Al Gore with Presidential Medal of Freedom

Al Gore received the award along with 18 other Americans during a Friday ceremony at the White House.

eu.tennessean.com

Former Vice President and ENVIRONMENTALIST Albert Gore Jr. received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden alongside 18 other recipients on Friday.

Gore received the medal alongside a group of Biden allies, including former Secretary of State John Kerry, former Speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi, and 10-time Olympic medalist swimmer Katie Ledecky.

“Today we have another extraordinary honor of bestowing the highest civilian honor on 19 incredible people whose relentless curiosity, inventiveness, ingenuity and hope have kept faith in a better tomorrow,” Biden said.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is one of the nation’s highest civilian honors, bestowed by the president to individuals who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

The honor was created by President Harry Truman in 1945, and the medal was renamed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Biden presented the awards to Gore and the others in White House East Room, where a few hundred supporters as well as family and friends of the recipients gathered for the late afternoon ceremony. Medal recipients lined up behind Biden on a dais at the front of the room as Biden presented his remarks.

"Throughout a defining career of public service, this guy, Al Gore, has demonstrated a love of country and showed the world how to lead," Biden said.

Gore was recognized for his lifetime of service, including as a U.S. Army serviceman, a senator, vice president, presidential nominee, and "VISIONARY CLIMATE STATESMAN." Biden recalled working alongside Gore as a senator as well as when he was vice president.

During the medal presentation, Gore was honored specifically for his grace in accepting defeat in the disputed 2000 presidential election, calling his acceptance "a historic act of selflessness, and love for country."

“After winning the popular vote he accepted the outcome of a disputed presidential election for the sake of unity and trust in our institutions. That, to me, was amazing what you did, Al. I won’t go into that,” Biden said, prompting laughs from the crowd. “Al, history’s going to remember you for many reasons, among them will be your honesty, your integrity, and the legacy of your service."

Gore received a particularly loud and enthusiastic round of applause from the packed room.

“In my view, excuse a point of personal privilege, but the last two guys I mentioned both should have been standing at this podium,” Biden said of Gore and former Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, who was also honored Friday.

Son of Sen. Albert Gore Sr., Gore was born in Washington, D.C., in 1948. He graduated from Harvard University and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He later worked as a reporter at The Tennessean while studying philosophy and law at Vanderbilt University. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976 at the age of 28, and to the U.S. Senate in 1984.

After unsuccessfully seeking the Democratic nomination for president in 1988, Gore served eight years as the 45th vice president of the United States in the administration of President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2000, winning the nationwide popular vote by more than 500,000 votes, but narrowly losing the electoral college to President George W. Bush.

Since leaving public office, Gore HAS WORKED ON ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES. HE FOUNDED THE Climate Reality Project (previously called the Alliance for Climate Protection) IN 2005, IN AN EFFORT TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CRISIS THROUGH GRASSROOT LEADERSHIP TRAINING, MEDIA EVENTS, AND ISSUE CAMPAIGNS.

Gore WAS AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE IN 2007 ALONGSIDE the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), IN RECOGNITION FOR HIS WORK TO INCREASE PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN IMPACT ON CLIMATE CHANGE.

"I tell you what, it makes you proud to be an American, does it?" Biden said after presenting the awards.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1786991443049140547

In the period 2000-2020, over 4,600 occurrences of climate-related disasters, directly impacting over 3.3 billion people according to the article below reported.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420924002504?via%3Dihub

 

[Raffy.Roma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1786901629742006451

Dr. Peter Kalmus, NASA Climate Scientist, is terrified by what he sees coming about the Climate Change issue.

Just to report the opinion of a NASA Climate Scientist about the Climate Change issue.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Countries’ carbon removal plans not enough for 1.5C warming limit, study warns

Methods for taking CO2 out of the atmosphere range from planting trees to using technology to take it out of the atmosphere directly.

www.independent.co.uk

Countries’ plans to take carbon dioxide back out of the atmosphere will not be enough to comply with goals to limit global warming to 1.5C, research warns.

Scientists have taken the UN’s approach of assessing the “emissions gap” between national climate protection plans and what is needed to limit warming to 1.5C as agreed under the global Paris treaty – and applied it to moves to remove key greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The first-of-its-kind analysis found there was a gap of up to 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) between what is planned by countries for removing carbon and what is needed by 2050 to curb dangerous global warming.

While cutting emissions, including from deforestation, is the main way society can curb rising temperatures, removing CO2 from the atmosphere will also have an important role to play, scientists said.

Removal of the gas includes planting trees or restoring other carbon-storing habitats as well as new technologies such as capturing the gas from the air directly and burning bioenergy such as wood pellets for power while catching and storing the CO2, known as Beccs.

The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, compared national action plans with scenarios based on the UN’s climate science body assessments for limiting warming to 1.5C to avoid the worst impacts of heatwaves, floods, droughts, melting ice and sea level rise.

If national targets are fully implemented, annual removals of CO2 could increase by a maximum of 1.9 billion tonnes by 2050.

Under one scenario for reducing fossil emissions and rapidly expanding renewables, annual carbon removals must still increase by 5.1 billion tonnes from today’s levels by 2050, leaving a gap of 3.2 billion tonnes of CO2.

Under another scenario, which assumes a significant reduction in global energy demand, there would need to be a lower increase, of 2.3 billion tonnes a year by 2050, so the gap would be smaller, at around 400 million tonnes.

The UK’s overall carbon pollution in 2023 was around 300 million tonnes.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions decreased by 3% in 2023 - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

www.eia.gov

Based on analysis in our most recent U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions report, U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions decreased by 3%, about 134 million metric tons (MMmt), in 2023.

Over 80% of the emissions reductions occurred in the electric power sector, caused largely by decreased coal-fired electricity generation, which was displaced by increased generation from solar and natural gas. Electric power sector emissions decreased to about 1,425 MMmt in 2023, about 7% less than in 2022.

Emissions also decreased in the residential and commercial sectors by a combined 6% in 2023, to about 561 MMmt, due to milder weather leading to less energy demand for space heating and cooling in buildings.

Emissions from the industrial and transportation sectors remained relatively unchanged, with differences of less than 1% from 2022.

U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Source

This is the way to go. Emissions have to be accurately checked for each Country all over the world.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Although most aerosols reflect sunlight, some also absorb it. An aerosol's effect on light depends primarily on the composition and color of the particles. Broadly speaking, bright-colored or translucent particles tend to reflect radiation in all directions and back towards space.

So Aereosols are able to cool the Earth

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Although most aerosols reflect sunlight, some also absorb it. An aerosol's effect on light depends primarily on the composition and color of the particles. Broadly speaking, bright-colored or translucent particles tend to reflect radiation in all directions and back towards space.

So Aereosols are able to cool the Earth

So Aereosols could be used to implement GEOENGINEERING to cool the Earth as it is explained in this video.
But in this video the risks connected with GEOENGINEERING are explained.
In particular the Earth could suddenly warm so much to cause irreversible damages as soon as the reflective power of Aereosols would cease.

Actually it looks like Aereosols released by planes are already cooling the Earth and we are already experiencing GEOENGINEERING.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1787146239445778698

Dear Humanity and UN,

The Climate Change issue threatens our existence.
If we don't act soon there'll be catastrophic biodiversity loss, untold amounts of human misery and a huge amount of damages for the whole mankind.
In fact the Climate Change issue is crystal clear a matter of Global Security.
Time's running out. Please take Climate Actions before Actions are no longer possible.
Yours Sincerely,

15,000 concerned Scientists + 1 concerned Electrical Engineer from Italy (Rome)

 

[Raffy.Roma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1787146239445778698

Dear Humanity and UN,

The Climate Change issue threatens our existence.
If we don't act soon there'll be catastrophic biodiversity loss, untold amounts of human misery and a huge amount of damages for the whole mankind.
In fact the Climate Change issue is crystal clear a matter of Global Security.
Time's running out. Please take Climate Actions before Actions are no longer possible.
Yours Sincerely,

15,000 concerned Scientists + 1 concerned Electrical Engineer from Italy (Rome)

Climate Change Could Cost Each American Born Today $500,000 - Consumer Reports

Climate change could cost each American born in 2024 $500,000, a new study finds.

www.consumerreports.org

You might have heard that climate change costs the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Or that globally it’s expected to cause trillions worth of damage annually by 2050.

But huge numbers like those are so abstract that it’s hard to see how the cost of climate change might affect our everyday lives.

So a new report commissioned by Consumer Reports and conducted by ICF, a global consulting firm that conducts climate studies for businesses and governments, might snap some of us to attention. Its finding: If humanity does not act swiftly to limit it, climate change will cost a typical child born in 2024 at least around $500,000 over the course of their lifetime—and possibly as much as $1 million—through a combination of cost-of-living increases and reduced earnings.

That’s in 2024 dollars, meaning each newborn will lose the current purchasing power of those amounts. Add in inflation and the actual amount they’ll lose over their lifetimes will be much larger.

The study also says those costs will be significantly lower if we act quickly to reduce global carbon emissions.

Consumer Reports Source

So as you can see what I said in the quoted post about the Climate Change issue causing a huge amount of damages to the whole mankind is true.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1787321917562564852

Paris is fighting pollution and improving public health.

-No diesel cars from 2024
-100% clean energy buses by 2025
-No petrol cars from 2030
-improving bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

This is the way to go. GO BIG PARIS!

I invite all TMC Members to watch the reported video.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Scientists break down in tears over 'horrifying' Great Barrier Reef crisis

All along the Great Barrier Reef, corals lie dead and dying in pretty turquoise waters.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Scientists from three research stations on the Great Barrier Reef have shared sobering accounts of the damage inflicted by the latest marine heatwave.

All along the Great Barrier Reef countless corals lie dead and dying in pretty turquoise waters, leaving the scientists who study them heavy with despair.

Some have been reduced to TEARS after visiting familiar research sites and finding landmark corals lifeless and smothered in brown algae.

The death is so widespread in the shallow lagoons of Heron, One Tree and Lizard islands that it’s palpable.

At One Tree Island Research Station, at the southern end of the reef, University of Sydney marine ecologist Dr John Turnbull can smell the decay.

It’s sour and sulphurous, as stressed and dying corals release chemicals into the water.

Wish to remind that the Coral Reef is damaged by the high Ocean Heat Content (OHC) and the Ocean Acidification issue which are both produced by the Climate Change issue.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Non-CO2 emissions: NGOs, airlines and aviation industry actors call upon the European Commission to monitor non-CO2 emissions on all flights - Transport & Environment

Limiting the scope of the non-CO2 monitoring tool risk limiting both our understanding and ability to mitigate the impact of non-CO2 effects of aviation.

www.transportenvironment.org

Limiting the scope of the non-CO2 monitoring tool risk limiting both our understanding and ability to mitigate the impact of non-CO2 effects of aviation.

Non-CO2 effects from aviation, including nitrous oxides N2O, a GHG 300 times more powerful than CO2, emissions and contrail formation, are known to have an impact on the climate. While our knowledge of these effects today may not be as extensive as that of CO2, scientific consensus, gathered by EASA ( The European Authority for Aviation Safety) in its 2020 report, highlights that their warming effects could have a similar impact as CO2, or even larger.

Acknowledging their environmental impact, the groundbreaking EU ETS agreement adopted in 2022 has paved the way for addressing non-CO2 effects by requiring the development of a Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) framework. This represents a historic first step to understand and act as appropriate on non-CO2 effects, as it can help boost research and inform policymakers and the aviation industry on the best set of policies and incentives for their effective mitigation.

A key feature of the MRV framework is the full geographic scope of the reporting. It includes all flights entering or leaving the European Economic Area (EEA). This is consistent with the general scope of the EU ETS Directive for other transport modes and their non-CO2 emissions.

Shipping companies are required as of 2024 to monitor maritime non-CO2 emissions (nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4)) for voyages to, from, and within the EU.

It is critical that the full geographic scope is retained, as it is the only scientifically sound basis to understand the impact of aircraft types and geographies, and allow a better understanding of the impacts of long-haul flights which research shows to cause more warming and present larger mitigation opportunities. It is vital that activity in areas such as the North-Atlantic region, with a high concentration of contrail formations, are monitored and understood.

That’s why a coalition of NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), airlines and other aviation industry actors are coming together to call upon the European Commission to maintain the full scope of the non-CO2 MRV.

So planes not only emit CO2 but also N2O (Both GHGs) and we must monitor both of them.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1784610085869650059

It looks like, after 420 days, the continuous daily record breaking of the North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures is coming to an end!

Maybe that, as Dr. Gavin Schmidt (Director of NASA GISS) said, now that El Niño has been replaced by ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) Neutral the Anomaly of the Global Temperature Deviation is stabilizing.
But I need other data especially about the monthly and the 365-day Global Temperature Deviation to confirm this important fact.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1787497723333386506

It looked like the 2024 North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures (Red line) was going below the 2023 North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures (Yellow line) for some days in between April and May. But, as you can see in the reported graph, now the 2024 Red line is overtaking again the 2023 Yellow line.
So for the time being no hope that the Anomaly of the Global Temperature Deviation is stabilizing.
We have to wait that La Niña (cool flip-side of El Niño) will kick in, maybe in August, to see if the Anomaly of the Global Temperature Deviation will stabilize as Dr. Gavin Schmidt, Director of NASA GISS, hopes.

 

[mspohr]

UN expert attacks ‘exploitative’ world economy in fight to save planet

Outgoing special rapporteur David Boyd says there’s something wrong with our brains that we can’t understand how grave this is’

www.theguardian.com

The race to save the planet is being impeded by a global economy that is contingent on the exploitation of people and nature, according to the UN’s outgoing leading environment and human rights expert.

David Boyd, who served as UN special rapporteur on human rights and the environment from 2018 to April 2024, told the Guardian that states failing to take meaningful climate action and regulating polluting industries could soon face a slew of lawsuits.

Boyd said: “I started out six years ago talking about the right to a healthy environment having the capacity to bring about systemic and transformative changes. But this powerful human right is up against an even more powerful force in the global economy, a system that is absolutely based on the exploitation of people and nature. And unless we change that fundamental system, then we’re just re-shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.”

 

[Raffy.Roma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1787497723333386506

It looked like the 2024 North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures (Red line) was going below the 2023 North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures (Yellow line) for some days in between April and May. But, as you can see in the reported graph, now the 2024 Red line is overtaking again the 2023 Yellow line.
So for the time being no hope that the Anomaly of the Global Temperature Deviation is stabilizing.
We have to wait that La Niña (cool flip-side of El Niño) will kick in, maybe in August, to see if the Anomaly of the Global Temperature Deviation will stabilize as Dr. Gavin Schmidt, Director of NASA GISS, hopes.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1787860147802685695

While in the quoted post the graph of the daily Sea Surface Temperature of North Atlantic is reported in this post the graph of the Temperature Anomaly of the Sea Surface Temperature is given.

The graph confirms that the 2024 Anomaly (red line) has overtaken the 2023 Anomaly (Yellow line) after some days in between April and May that the 2024 Anomaly was below the 2023 Anomaly.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1787497723333386506

It looked like the 2024 North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures (Red line) was going below the 2023 North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures (Yellow line) for some days in between April and May. But, as you can see in the reported graph, now the 2024 Red line is overtaking again the 2023 Yellow line.
So for the time being no hope that the Anomaly of the Global Temperature Deviation is stabilizing.
We have to wait that La Niña (cool flip-side of El Niño) will kick in, maybe in August, to see if the Anomaly of the Global Temperature Deviation will stabilize as Dr. Gavin Schmidt, Director of NASA GISS, hopes.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1787910507179225290

Now we also know exactly that the Red line representing the 2024 North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature went below the Yellow line representing the 2023 North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature ONLY for 6 days in between April and May after a 421 days streak of record high North Atlantic ocean temperatures.

Now the Red line is again above the Yellow line (the colors of the lines refer to the quoted post).

 

[Raffy.Roma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1788092377837535715

A whole year of record breaking Ocean Temperatures.

As you can see in the reported graph the Ocean Temperatures have been at record levels each day since 4 May 2023.

This warmth has significant effects on ocean ecosystems. A large fraction of the world’s human population rely on protein from the ocean to live. Disruption to life in the ocean does affect us all.

Climate change: World's oceans suffer from record-breaking year of heat

Every single day of the past 12 months has seen a new global sea temperature high for the time of year.

www.bbc.com

 

[Raffy.Roma]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1788092377837535715

A whole year of record breaking Ocean Temperatures.

As you can see in the reported graph the Ocean Temperatures have been at record levels each day since 4 May 2023.

This warmth has significant effects on ocean ecosystems. A large fraction of the world’s human population rely on protein from the ocean to live. Disruption to life in the ocean does affect us all.

Climate change: World's oceans suffer from record-breaking year of heat

Every single day of the past 12 months has seen a new global sea temperature high for the time of year.

www.bbc.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1788108043130991007

Sorry but I have to report this comment by Prof. Bill McGuir about the fact that we had a whole year of record breaking Ocean Temperatures.

TRULY TERRIFYNG

This post is WORRISOME. PLEASE don't look it up.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target

Exclusive: Planet is headed for at least 2.5C of heating with disastrous results for humanity, poll of hundreds of scientists finds

www.theguardian.com

Hundreds of the world’s leading climate scientists expect global temperatures to rise to at least 2.5C (4.5F) this century, blasting past internationally agreed targets and causing catastrophic consequences for humanity and the planet, an exclusive Guardian survey has revealed.

Almost 80% of the respondents, all from the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), foresee at least 2.5C of global heating above preindustrial levels, while almost half anticipate at least 3C (5.4F). Only 6% thought the internationally agreed 1.5C (2.7F) limit will be met.

Many of the scientists envisage a “semi-dystopian” future, with famines, conflicts and mass migration, driven by heatwaves, wildfires, floods and storms of an intensity and frequency far beyond those that have already struck.

Numerous experts said they had been left feeling hopeless, infuriated and scared by the failure of governments to act despite the clear scientific evidence provided.

I think we are headed for major societal disruption within the next five years,” said Gretta Pecl, at the University of Tasmania. “[Authorities] will be overwhelmed by extreme event after extreme event, food production will be disrupted. I could not feel greater despair over the future.”

But many said the climate fight must continue, however high global temperature rose, because every fraction of a degree avoided would reduce human suffering.

Peter Cox, at the University of Exeter, UK, said: “Climate change will not suddenly become dangerous at 1.5C – it already is. And it will not be ‘game over’ if we pass 2C, which we might well do.”

The Guardian approached every contactable lead author or review editor of IPCC reports since 2018. Almost half replied, 380 of 843. The IPCC’s reports are the gold standard assessments of climate change, approved by all governments and produced by experts in physical and social sciences. The results show that many of the most knowledgeable people on the planet expect climate havoc to unfold in the coming decades.

The climate crisis is already causing profound damage to lives and livelihoods across the world, with only 1.2C (2.16F) of global heating on average over the past four years. Jesse Keenan, at Tulane University in the US, said: “This is just the beginning: buckle up.”

Nathalie Hilmi, at the Monaco Scientific Centre, who expects a rise of 3C, agreed: “We cannot stay below 1.5C.”

The experts said massive preparations to protect people from the worst of the coming climate disasters were now critical. Leticia Cotrim da Cunha, at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said: “I am extremely worried about the costs in human lives.”

The 1.5C target was chosen to prevent the worst of the climate crisis and has been seen as an important guiding star for international negotiations. Current climate policies mean the world is on track for about 2.7C, and the Guardian survey shows few IPCC experts expect the world to deliver the huge action required to reduce that.

Younger scientists were more pessimistic, with 52% of respondents under 50 expecting a rise of at least 3C, compared with 38% of those over 50. Female scientists were also more downbeat than male scientists, with 49% thinking global temperature would rise at least 3C, compared with 38%. There was little difference between scientists from different continents.

Dipak Dasgupta, at the Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi, said: “If the world, unbelievably wealthy as it is, stands by and does little to address the plight of the poor, we will all lose eventually.”

The experts were clear on why the world is failing to tackle the climate crisis. A lack of political will was cited by almost three-quarters of the respondents, while 60% also blamed vested corporate interests, such as the fossil fuel industry.

Many also mentioned inequality and a failure of the rich world to help the poor, who suffer most from climate impacts. “I expect a semi-dystopian future with substantial pain and suffering for the people of the global south,” said a South African scientist, who chose not to be named. “The world’s response to date is reprehensible – we live in an age of fools.”

About a quarter of the IPCC experts who responded thought global temperature rise would be kept to 2C or below but even they tempered their hopes.

“I am convinced that we have all the solutions needed for a 1.5C path and that we will implement them in the coming 20 years,” said Henry Neufeldt, at the UN’s Copenhagen Climate Centre. “But I fear that our actions might come too late and we cross one or several tipping points.”

Lisa Schipper, at University of Bonn in Germany, said: “My only source of hope is the fact that, as an educator, I can see the next generation being so smart and understanding the politics.”

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Oceans have been absorbing the world’s extra heat. But there’s a huge payback

Record sea surface temperatures suggest the Earth is headed for ‘uncharted territory’ in terms of sea level rise, coastal flooding and extreme weather

www.theguardian.com

By the end of March, the surface temperature of the world’s oceans was above anything seen in the 40 years that satellites have been measuring it.

Records were “headed off the charts” and, as the heat refused to fade for more than a month, the Earth marched into “uncharted territory”, scientists said (Dr. Gavin Schmidt Director of NASA GISS).

The temperature at the ocean’s surface – like on land – is being pushed higher by global heating but can jump around from one year to the next as weather systems come and go.

But in the 2km below the surface, that variability is almost nowhere to be seen. The rising heat down there has been on a relentless climb for decades, thanks to burning fossil fuels.

“The heat-holding capacity of the ocean is mammoth,” says Dr Paul Durack, a research scientist specialising in ocean measurements and modelling at the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

“The ocean captures more than 90% of the imbalance of energy that we’re creating because of anthropogenic climate change.”

The ocean is much less reflective than the land and soaks up more of the direct energy from sunlight.

But as greenhouse gases trap more of the energy that’s reflected back – allowing less to escape to space – the ocean tries to balance itself with the heat in the atmosphere above.

A technical chart in a chapter of the latest UN climate assessment laid out the unfathomable heat gain. Between 1971 and 2018, the ocean had gained 396 zettajoules of heat.

How much heat is that? Scientists have calculated it is the equivalent energy of more than 25bn Hiroshima atomic bombs. And that heat gain is accelerating.

A study in January found the ocean gained 10 ZJ more in 2022 than the year before – enough heat to boil 700m kettles every second.

Compared with the ocean, according to a study in January the atmosphere has held on to about 2% of the extra heat caused by global heating since 2006.

To understand what’s happening below the ocean surface, out of sight of satellites, scientists look at a vast network of thousands of thermometers on buoys, ships, underwater gliders and permanent moorings.

Durack says it wasn’t until the early 2000s that a view of the changes in the ocean – long-predicted by climate scientists – started to become clear as more and more data became available.

But scientists have been able to get a longer view going back many more decades by using climate models.

"When we look at the climate models and compare them with the observations, we get consistent results across that simulated Earth and the real Earth. They’re all showing consistent warming.”

Dr Bernadette Sloyan researches changes in the ocean at Australia’s CSIRO government science agency and spends her days analysing ocean data.

“This is where the ocean is like a flywheel that drives our climate and that’s all because of the amount of energy it takes to heat it up,” she says.

“We have this constant talking between the ocean and the atmosphere that’s driving our weather and, annually, that’s our climate.”

Sloyan says the ocean has acted like the planet’s air conditioner, relentlessly absorbing extra heat.

"But that air conditioner isn’t just passive. It is not a free service. Adding that heat has come with ocean acidification, rising sea levels and changes in the frequency of extreme weather.”

The effects of the extra heat are almost everywhere. As the ocean heats up, it expands, pushing up sea levels around the globe. Just over one-third of the rise in global sea levels is down to thermal expansion.

More heat means more marine heatwaves that have devastated marine ecosystems, causing bleaching on coral reefs and killing underwater plants that act like forests, providing habitats for marine life and acting as nurseries for fisheries.

Ocean heating could also radically alter marine food webs, with warmer conditions favouring smaller species and algae at the expense of the larger species that humans tend to eat.

In the deep ocean, where species have adapted to stable temperatures, scientists have said warming there in the coming decades could devastate marine life.

Around the tropics, where oceans are warmest, scientists have found species are already migrating towards the poles to find cooler waters. But with no other species able to take their place, this leaves behind waters stripped of marine life.

In places like the Mediterranean, where land blocks a route to cooler waters, Prof David Schoeman says many species will run out of ocean.

“Fish can’t just climb out of the water so they may have to go deeper,” says Schoeman of the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, who helped coordinate the latest UN climate assessment’s work on the ocean.

But if species go deeper to survive the heat, this could present another problem. Schoeman says near the surface waters easily mix with the air above to provide enough oxygen for marine life. But as deeper waters warm they hold less oxygen, potentially cutting off another survival option for some species.

Schoeman says much of the heat that has pushed surface temperatures to new highs in recent weeks is likely coming from below.

“Every year about 134 million atomic bombs of heat is being trapped by the ocean. It has kept global temperatures down and kept the land livable but we have to realise that energy hasn’t gone.”

The latest UN climate report says the warming of the ocean is likely to continue “until at least 2300” even if greenhouse gas emissions are low because of the “slow circulation of the deep ocean”.

Prof Matthew England, an oceanographer and climate scientist at the University of New South Wales, is on a video call and shows an image of the globe taken over the Pacific, where almost no land is visible.

“Remember the world is 70% covered by ocean. It should have been called Ocean, not Earth,” he says.

England says that simple physics means the ocean “has this huge ability to absorb heat and then hold on to it”.

England holds his arms out wide to show the size of one cubic metre of air. To heat that air by 1C, he says it takes about 2,000 joules. But to warm a cubic metre of ocean needs about 4,200,000 joules.

“By absorbing all this heat, the ocean lulls people into a false sense of security that climate change is progressing slowly."

“But there is a huge payback. It’s overwhelming when you start to go through all the negative impacts of a warming ocean."

"There’s sea level rise, coastal inundation, increased floods and drought cycles, bleached corals, intensification of cyclones, ecological impacts, melting of ice at higher latitudes in the coastal margins – that gives us a double whammy on sea level rise."

“The oceans have stored the problem,” says England. “But it’s coming back to bite us.”