Report Shows Earth’s Climate is Out of Balance, as Indicators Hit New Extremes
Inside Climate News • • world
Key Points:
- The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres declared a climate emergency following the World Meteorological Organization's latest State of the Global Climate report, highlighting that Earth’s energy imbalance is at its highest on record, with the planet trapping heat faster than it can release it.
- The report emphasizes record-high concentrations of greenhouse gases, causing widespread effects such as extreme heat, droughts, storms, and rising food prices, with heat accumulating notably in oceans and melting ice.
- For the first time, the report includes Earth’s energy imbalance as a key climate indicator, showing the disrupted balance between incoming and outgoing solar energy due to human activities like burning fossil fuels and industrial processes.
- Scientists stress that the majority of trapped energy (90-93%) heats the oceans, while only a small fraction affects air temperature, underscoring the oceans' critical role in absorbing climate change impacts.
- Despite concerns about funding cuts, climate data collection and observations remain robust, and the report calls for urgent action to transition away from fossil fuels to ensure climate, energy, and national security.
