Last month, Mexico and the United States experienced yet another devastating hurricane. In 12 hours, Hurricane Milton went from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm – the most extreme level there is. How? Sustained ocean warming, due to human-caused climate change, is creating so much ocean energy that storms are happening faster, and at much higher intensities, causing billion-dollar hurricane events as frequently as every few weeks.
The oceans, which cover more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, are rapidly changing – with devastating consequences for global economies, coastal communities, and the lives of millions of people. In the Pacific Islands – my home – this reality is felt especially hard on an annual basis. Despite this region contributing the least to global emissions driving climate and ocean change, we are among the most impacted by human-altered climate.
Sea-surface temperatures in the southwest Pacific have risen three times faster than the global average, with marine heatwaves doubling in frequency, intensity, and duration since 1980.
