What are zettajoules and what do they tell us about Earth's energy imbalance?

"A zettajoule is a billion trillion joules. Experts often have to resort to abstract terms like unfathomable, almost beyond comprehension and really big to ensure our tiny human minds are sufficiently blown away by what these numbers convey."

"The World Meteorological Organization warned that our world has a huge and growing energy imbalance, which is warming the oceans, the land and the air to dangerous levels."

"Last year, the energy imbalance in the world's oceans hit a record 23 zettajoules, more than double the average of the previous two decades."

"The 2025 imbalance in the oceans was about 39 times the annual human energy use for the whole globe."

The zettajoule, a unit of energy, represents the immense scale of climate change. Earth's energy imbalance has grown significantly, with an increase of about 11 zettajoules annually from 2005 to 2025. This imbalance, primarily due to greenhouse gas emissions, is causing dangerous warming of oceans, land, and air. Last year, ocean energy imbalance reached a record 23 zettajoules, more than double the previous two-decade average. This energy accumulation leads to severe weather events, making life increasingly uncomfortable and vulnerable.

Read at www.theguardian.com