What warming oceans mean for the planet

Mediterranean bream fish
Mediterranean bream fish are pictured in the Mediterranean Sea, in Cassis near Marseille in southern France.
Boris Horvat | AFP | Getty Images 2018

The world's oceans are heating up. According to a study published in January in the journal "Science,” 2018 was the hottest year ever for our oceans, and the rate of that heat increase is faster than previously thought. That could be because the world's oceans absorb up to 90 percent of the warming caused by carbon emissions.

That's a huge problem for sea life. But it's also a problem for those of us who live on land — because the oceans buffer us from the full effects of climate change.

MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke with Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist and CEO of Ocean Collectiv, a group looking to find solutions for coastal communities that are the most vulnerable to climate change.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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