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The southwest Pacific is facing growing threats from rapidly warming oceans, marine heatwaves, rising sea levels and increasing ocean acidification, the United Nations’ weather and climate agency warned on Tuesday, saying the region is becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate-related disasters.
In its State of the Climate in the Southwest Pacific 2025 report, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the region recorded its second-warmest year on record in 2025, surpassed only by 2024. Extreme weather events caused widespread disruption, economic losses and fatalities across several countries and territories.
The report found that the average surface air temperature over both land and ocean in 2025 was around 0.37 degrees Celsius above the 1991-2020 average.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said the ocean remains the lifeblood of many Pacific nations, supporting livelihoods, economies and food security, but is increasingly under pressure from climate change.
“In 2025, the region experienced warming oceans, rising sea levels, marine heatwaves and ocean acidification, alongside tropical cyclones and the continued loss of tropical glacier ice,” she said.
One of the report’s most alarming findings concerns the rapid disappearance of tropical glaciers in Papua, Indonesia. The remaining mountain ice was estimated to be only about two percent of its 1988 extent, and scientists expect the region’s last tropical glacier to vanish by the end of 2026 or early 2027.
The WMO also warned that marine heatwaves remained exceptionally widespread in 2025 despite the absence of an El Niño event. It described this as a troubling sign, particularly as forecasts indicate that a potentially strong El Niño could develop in 2026, further increasing ocean temperatures.
Sea levels across the southwest Pacific have risen by an average of 3.7 millimetres per year since 1999, exposing low-lying islands and coastal communities to greater risks of flooding, erosion and saltwater intrusion.
At the same time, the ocean is becoming more acidic as it absorbs increasing amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The WMO said ocean acidification, combined with warming waters and declining oxygen levels, is placing growing stress on marine ecosystems, coral reefs, fisheries and biodiversity.
The agency said its regional climate assessments are intended to provide governments and policymakers with scientific evidence to strengthen climate adaptation, improve disaster preparedness and reduce future risks in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions.
