Signal Energy imbalance doubled and marine heatwave days tripled

Summary

The report states that Earth's energy imbalance has grown to more than twice its 1976 to 1995 level. The number of days with marine heatwaves has more than tripled since 1991. The 2026 edition adds a CERES satellite series running from March 2000 to January 2026 as new supporting data, and this record shows the imbalance still rising. According to the report, a persistent positive imbalance since at least the 1970s has kept the Earth system absorbing energy, with the ocean taking up about 90 percent of the excess heat. These indicators appear alongside recent findings that warming has accelerated since around 2015. The report sees such changes as raising the likelihood of record extremes and cascading impacts.