Ocean waters in the South-West Pacific are becoming hotter and more acidic, harming local economies and marine ecosystems. Rising sea levels are threatening vulnerable coastal communities and low-lying island nations, according to the WMO #StateOfClimate in the South-West Pacific 2025. “For many countries and territories in the South-West Pacific, the ocean is central to livelihoods, economies and resilience. 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,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. Cyclone Senyar, the first known system to reach tropical cyclone intensity in the Strait of Malacca, impacted more than 10 million people in Indonesia and Malaysia and claimed more than 1 200 lives. The last remaining tropical glacier of the region in Papua, Indonesia is expected to disappear by the end of 2026 or early 2027. Go to the 🔗 in our bio to ...