The Intelligence from The Economist
The Intelligence from The Economist

Taking the shine off: albedo and global temperatures

August 5, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The world’s oceans are alarmingly hot. Throughout July and most of June, sea surface temperatures between 60° north and 60° south have been at record levels for the time of year. This isn’t just a weather oddity—it’s a signal of a deeper, less visible shift in how the planet handles energy. The Earth is absorbing more heat than it used to, and a big part of the reason is that it has become less reflective, or dimmer, over the past few decades.

The planet’s dimming reflection

The Earth’s reflectivity, known as its albedo, determines how much sunlight bounces back into space versus how much is absorbed. Oliver Morton, The Economist’s planetary affairs editor, explains that two major forces are making the Earth less reflective. First, global warming itself is reducing cloud cover and shrinking ice caps. Fewer clouds and less ice mean more dark surfaces—open ocean or bare ground—that absorb sunlight rather than reflecting it. This is a classic climate feedback: warming begets more warming.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:46) **Record Ocean Heat and Earth's Diminishing Reflectivity** - Oliver Morton introduces the puzzle of persistently high ocean temperatures and links it to a less reflective Earth.
  • 2 (03:13) **Two Distinct Drivers of Warming: Feedback vs. Pollution Cleanup** - Morton distinguishes between a known climate feedback and a newly consequential effect from cleaning up sulfur pollution.
  • 3 (05:04) **How Scientists Measure the Energy Imbalance** - Morton explains the dual measurement system that confirms the Earth is absorbing more energy.
  • 4 (06:20) **The Unintended Consequence of Cleaning the Air** - The episode's central investigative reveal: successful pollution reduction policies are accelerating warming.
  • 5 (07:20) **The Two Paths Forward and the Solar Geoengineering Debate** - Morton outlines the long-term solution and the controversial short-term idea proposed by Paul Crutzen.
  • 6 (08:56) **The Warming Forecast Without Intervention** - Morton concludes with a stark projection for the coming decades.
  • 7 (11:37) **West Africa's Emergence as a Global Cocaine Hub** - A new segment introduces the massive drug busts in Liberia and the structural shift in the cocaine trade.

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Guests on this episode

Oliver Morton

Show Notes

Fewer clouds, shrinking ice caps, changing pollutants: all result in less of the sun’s energy being reflected back into space. Which is more bad news for a changing climate. Our correspondent explains why so much more of the world’s cocaine is passing through west Africa. And the data that reveal Americans’ discomfort about wives earning more than their husbands.


Guests and host:

  • Oliver Morton, planetary-affairs editor
  • Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, Africa correspondent
  • Doug Dowson, data journalist
  • Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
  • Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”


Topics covered: 

  • climate change, albedo, global temperatures
  • Africa, cocaine, smuggling
  • wage equality, gender pay gap


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