The King Tides at Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington came in earlier (November 2024) and later (March 1, 2025) than in previous years, pushing water up past the beach and into the forest. Does this indicate rising sea levels?
In the face of the Gaza genocide, the Ukraine War, and the rise of American fascism under Trump, the conversation about the climate crisis has been put on the back burner. Its growing urgency seems almost forgotten. The Trump Administration is gutting greenhouse gas emissions regulations and environmental agencies, while silencing climate scientists.
2024 was the warmest year on record, but 2025 is turning out to be hotter still. In 2023 for the first time in recorded history, the South Atlantic Ocean’s current in the southern hemisphere reversed direction. This reversal of a major ocean current has alarmed climate scientists over a possible acceleration of the climate crisis, since the current is part of the planet’s cooling system. In Summer 2025, much of the western United States and Canada are ablaze with a record number of forest fires. These events should be cause for great alarm by the public, that their political institutions have failed to act and intervene to prevent the climate crisis from reaching an apocalyptic stage.
There continues to be concerted efforts by climate skeptics to allege that human activity and greenhouse gas emissions (Carbon and Methane) are not the cause of global warming. The Koch Industries funded CO2 Coalition claims there is not enough carbon in the atmosphere and that more carbon would result in more plants. A carbon dioxide scarcity that impedes plant growth occurs when it is below 150 ppm, but this low amount in the atmosphere has likely never been seen in the last 800,000 years.
In May 2025, the NOAA Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii recorded carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surpassing 430 ppm (parts per million), which is its highest level in 800,000 years. Before the Industrial Revolution in 1750, carbon dioxide levels were at 275 ppm in the atmosphere. The current 430 ppm represents a 56% rise in carbon dioxide since 1750. In 1950, carbon in the atmosphere was just above 300 ppm. While some argue that the increase from 300ppm and 430 ppm is insignificant, carbon dioxide only makes up between .042 percent to .043 percent of the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, so the increase has proven to be very significant. Carbon dioxide acts like a blanket that prevents heat from escaping into outer space. The more carbon and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the more heat is trapped.
The effects of global warming were predicted by the scientists working for Exxon Mobil and Shell Oil in the 1970s, who came up with accurate climate models. Leaked internal documents show that extensive climate studies were done by Exxon’s scientists. For years Exxon took air and temperature readings every hour of the day year round around the world. Their scientists concluded that burning fossil fuels at the same or a greater rate would cause global warming.
There was no dispute over the validity of the scientific findings by company bosses and CEOs, who were overjoyed because it would mean longer drilling seasons in the
Arctic with less sea ice. It was only when other scientists (many working at government agencies and universities) came to the same conclusions, that the oil companies became concerned and funded the climate change denial movement and its politicians.
Global greenhouse gas emissions are increasing, but even if they remain at their current levels, average global temperatures are predicted to rise. The target of world governments, who have attended the COP (Conference of the Parties) Summits since 1995, is to keep the average global temperature below a 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) increase. The annual COP summit is the largest United Nations event for discussions and negotiations on climate change. The Paris Climate Agreement was adopted at COP21 in 2015.
The Paris Climate Agreement relies on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) or climate plans from each nation, which must be updated every five years. COP30 will be held in Belem, Brazil on November 10-21, 2025, but with the summit fast approaching the world’s largest nations and biggest polluters are dodging their previously agreed upon commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent deadly global temperature rise. 28 countries have submitted their updated climate plans (or NDC) to the United Nations, but the biggest polluters, who contribute to 83% of global emissions, have failed to act. The United States updated its climate plans (NDC) in December 2024 only for the Trump Administration to pull out of the Paris Agreement two months later.
What has also been completely absent from the COP Summits is holding the world’s militaries accountable for their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. The US military is the world’s largest polluter and number one user of fossil fuels, but it is entirely exempt from environmental regulations.
As global temperatures rise, some regions will become uninhabitable during the hottest months of the year. More people will die from heat waves, especially the elderly, poor and homeless. Power outages from the power grid being overloaded could cause many people to lose air conditioning in a heat wave.
What is worse are the effects on biodiversity from global warming. Many animal and plant species can not adapt to warmer temperatures, while drought will reduce their food sources. According to scientific predictions, one third of animal and plant species will be extinct by 2050 and possibly 70 percent by 2100, if our modern civilization maintains current greenhouse gas emissions. This means an irreversible loss of biodiversity that will completely disrupt ecosystems, thus resulting in severe hardship for human beings worldwide.
Global warming will cause sea levels to rise from melting glaciers and polar ice sheets. Climate change is causing warmer ocean temperatures and changing wind patterns which together can alter ocean currents. Ocean currents act as a conveyor belt to absorb heat and cool the planet. Over 90 percent of excess heat trapped by human caused greenhouse gases has been absorbed by the ocean. As a result, more than 90 percent of the global warming over the last 50 years has occurred in the ocean.
The ocean’s absorption of higher levels of carbon dioxide is lowering the water’s pH, resulting in acidification of the ocean. Carbonic acid makes it more difficult for marine animals like corals, sponges and mollusks to build the calcium carbonate in their shells and skeletons. Warmer ocean waters hold less oxygen creating dead zones in the ocean. Higher sea temperatures stress corals leading to the death of large coral reefs. This is known as coral bleaching.
Fish are forced to seek cooler waters thus moving to new habitats and impacting ecosystems. Impacts on one species can negatively impact the entire ecosystem. The tiny sea creature known as Plankton will die off when the water gets too warm. This can cause a ripple effect of food shortages up the entire food chain, from small fish to whales.
Marine ecosystem degradation threatens the food security of human communities, who rely on fish and marine animals. The ocean is a source of food, medicines, natural sponges and recreational opportunities. In 2024, Global fish production was above 178 million tonnes, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The global ocean economy generates over $2.2 trillion annually in worldwide revenue. The ocean economy employs around 3 billion people and some estimates put its value at closer to $6 trillion. There is a wide variety of ocean industries including fishing, cargo shipping and tourism. When the oceans die, we die! Healthy oceans mean a healthy planet and healthy societies.
Capitalism and US imperialism have prevented any meaningful reduction in fossil fuel use. If the largest nations continue to ignore the climate crisis and expand endless wars, life on Earth is doomed and societal collapse will be inevitable.
The Green Party platform addresses the need to close foreign US military bases, impose weapons embargos and implement a Green New Deal that will replace military and arms industry jobs with green jobs in solar, wind and infrastructure projects.
What we are witnessing in 2025, is an unprecedented assault on the environment by the Trump Administration, who seeks to gut environmental regulations including ending the Roadless Rule to increase oil extraction and timber harvesting. If enacted, Trump’s reckless agenda will accelerate the climate crisis and destroy pristine wilderness areas that provide wildlife habitat. We are facing a global crisis and we need all hands on deck to demand the change needed to stop the destruction of planet Earth.