By Abbas Nazil
Oceans are absorbing the vast majority of excess heat trapped by climate change, a development scientists warn is increasingly threatening global food systems and accelerating environmental disruption.
A new report from the World Meteorological Organization highlights the growing imbalance between the energy Earth receives from the sun and the amount it radiates back into space, a phenomenon known as the Earth’s energy imbalance.
This imbalance, driven by greenhouse gas emissions, means the planet is retaining more heat than it releases, ensuring that global warming will continue as long as the gap persists.
Scientists note that while global surface temperatures can fluctuate due to weather patterns such as El Niño and La Niña, the energy imbalance provides a clearer and more consistent measure of long-term climate change.
Data shows that this imbalance has been increasing steadily since the 1960s, with each of the past nine years recording new highs, confirming the intensifying nature of global warming.
According to the report, oceans absorb about 91 percent of this excess energy, effectively acting as a buffer that slows atmospheric warming but places enormous stress on marine ecosystems.
This rising ocean heat is already producing serious consequences, including coral bleaching, habitat loss, and declining fish populations, all of which disrupt food supply chains dependent on marine resources.
As ocean temperatures increase, fish species are migrating towards cooler waters near the poles, reducing catches for fishers in tropical regions and worsening food insecurity in vulnerable communities.
Sea level rise linked to warming oceans is also contributing to coastal erosion, damaging fisheries infrastructure and threatening the livelihoods of those who depend on coastal ecosystems.
In addition, melting glaciers caused by rising global temperatures can lead to flooding, which disrupts agricultural activities and further destabilises food production on land.
Experts warn that oceans are approaching their capacity to absorb heat and carbon, raising concerns that their role in moderating climate change may weaken in the future.
Marine heatwaves are also becoming more frequent, with significant impacts on aquaculture, where farmed fish are unable to escape extreme conditions, leading to higher mortality rates.
While oceans have long been considered a critical buffer against climate change, scientists stress that their limits are becoming increasingly evident, masking the full scale of global warming while silently intensifying its impacts.
Researchers are calling for clearer communication of these risks and stronger global action to reduce emissions, as continued warming threatens both marine ecosystems and the global food systems that rely on them.
