An alarming new study by Pan & Cheng shows that 2025 set yet another record for global ocean heat content, with the upper 2000 meters of the ocean storing more energy than ever observed. In this Climate Emergency Forum episode, our guests unpack what “record‑breaking ocean heat” really means for the climate system, extreme weather, and long‑term sea level rise. We look beyond short‑term sea‑surface temperature fluctuations to focus on the deep, accumulating heat that drives the climate crisis for centuries to come.
This video was recorded on January 14th, 2026, and published on January 19th, 2026, and represents the opinions of the discussion participants.
Our panel explains how scientists measure ocean heat content, why the 2025 increase—on the order of tens of zettajoules—is well outside natural variability, and how this energy is already amplifying marine heatwaves, coral bleaching, and coastal impacts. We also clarify recent misconceptions suggesting that “ocean heat is coming down,” showing how the latest peer‑reviewed work instead finds continued, “unabated” warming of the global ocean. If you’ve seen headlines about cooling patches, El Niño/La Niña shifts, or “natural cycles,” this discussion connects those pieces back to the underlying, relentless rise in stored ocean heat.
Finally, we explore what record‑high ocean heat means for policy, risk, and justice in the critical years ahead. The panel discusses why cutting fossil fuels rapidly is the only way to slow this mounting heat burden, and why adaptation plans must now reckon with a hotter, more energetic ocean already “baked in” to the system. Stay tuned to the end for concrete ideas on how scientists, advocates, and decision‑makers can respond to this latest warning from the world’s oceans.
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Dr. Peter Carter - MD, Expert IPCC Reviewer and the director of the Climate Emergency Institute.
Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University.
Herb Simmens - Author, Co-founder of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition (HPAC), Climate Emergency Board Member and former college instructor.
Charles Gregoire - Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth & the Climate Emergency Forum; Climate Reality Leader
Heidi Brault - Climate Reality Leader, BA(Psychology), Library & Information Technician Diploma - Video production and website assistant - Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP Team Lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum.
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