Climate Crisis, Biosphere & Societal Collapse

A new report on the state of the world’s oceans paints a grim picture. The ninth annual Copernicus Ocean State Report finds “No part of the ocean is untouched by the triple planetary crisis, as pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change are putting pressure on the ocean worldwide.” The EU-funded report draws on decades of historical and current observational data as well as satellite measurements to create a resource for policymakers, scientists and citizens to more fully understand the challenges facing the world’s oceans. “With all this information we can ensure that we are better prepared … to ensure that we can live with these situations which are evolving,” Karina von Schuckmann who worked on the report as senior adviser at Mercator Ocean International, told Mongabay at a press conference. Ocean change Global ocean temperatures are rising at unprecedented rates, and marine heat waves are intensifying worldwide. Sea surface temperatures have been increasing each decade since satellite records began in 1982. The northeastern Atlantic Ocean bordering Europe has been warming nearly twice the global rate at 0.27° Celsius (0.49° Fahrenheit) per decade since 1982. Tropical regions of the North Atlantic, including the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, experienced record-breaking marine heat waves in 2023; some areas were affected for up to 300 days. Polar regions are also seeing dramatic changes: Arctic sea ice is declining, and the Southern Ocean is warming and freshening, contributing to shifts in global currents. At the same time, plastic is polluting every ocean basin…