Will the world endure drastic and damaging outcomes at the hands of deniers of Climate Change? By Julie Peller Ph.D.

Green Junction

                Modern measurements of heat absorbed by the Earth’s oceans began in the 1960s. Recently, a large team of scientists calculated that the oceans absorbed an extra 23 zettajoules worth of heat in 2025, the most ever recorded. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explains that the oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface and are the “largest solar energy collector on Earth.” There are more than 3,000 pieces of equipment worldwide that measure ocean temperatures.

                A zettajoule is a crazy, huge amount, 1 x 10^21 joules (sextillion joules), of energy. One researcher described the 23 zettajoules of heat absorbed by the ocean as equivalent to 12 atomic bomb explosions. The ongoing rise in atmospheric greenhouse gases, mostly from carbon emissions, translates into more heat. The oceans absorb about 90% of the excess heat; hence, the rise in ocean temperatures. Added heat means more energy, which supercharges weather events such as hurricanes. Rising ocean temperatures also threaten marine life, from coral reefs to fish.

                We have known a great deal about global warming/ climate change for decades. The documentation of the ocean temperatures clearly shows a rising trend since the 1990s. Like many other measurable parameters, this long-term trend, according to the researchers, tells us “the oceans are unequivocally warming.” And, the warming is penetrating deeper into the oceans. To change this trend, the world must reduce carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels and restore carbon-absorbing ecosystems, such as rainforests. Or the world will endure drastic, damaging outcomes at the hands of deniers of these measured changes.

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has been writing a weekly column, The Green Junction, for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action. Her research interests include advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, challenges along the Lake Michigan shoreline (such as Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.