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Report: Ocean Temperatures Hit Record Levels in July

Is this an unprecedented climate catastrophe or are scientists manipulating the data?
Report: Ocean Temperatures Hit Record Levels in July
Above: Aerial view of Kastrosikia beach in the municipality of Preveza, Greece, on Aug. 9. Image credit: Vlasov Sulaj/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Spin


Climate-concerned narrative

Ocean temperatures matching the 2023 all-time high aren't a coincidence; they're a compounding disaster where every time the ocean reaches that ceiling, the land-based damage gets worse. Western Europe is living through a climate catastrophe — three straight months of record heat, over 500,000 hectares burned, and major rivers running dry reveal a continent under siege.

Climate-skeptic narrative

Blaming record ocean heat on a single year's CO2 emissions is textbook energy accounting abuse. The observed 23 zettajoule increase already reflects ENSO shifts, internal variability and decades of accumulated forcing — not 2025 emissions, which could account for under 1 zettajoule at most.


Metaculus Prediction


The Controversies



Go Deeper

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 7.4.1

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 7.4.1