Earth dimming accelerates climate change as sunlight reflection declines

The Earth is growing darker as it reflects less sunlight back into space than before, a shift that is accelerating climate change and disrupting the planet’s energy balance.

A research team led by Norman Loeb of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, analysed 24 years of CERES satellite data and found that between 2001 and 2024 the planet dimmed more than at any point in the satellite era. 

The dimming is uneven, with the Northern Hemisphere darkening significantly faster than the Southern Hemisphere.

Researchers measured a hemispheric energy shift of around 0.34 watts per square metre per decade. Although the figure seems small, persistent changes of this magnitude can alter sea-ice seasons, snow cover, cloud patterns, winds and ocean currents—further reinforcing the shift in the Earth’s energy balance.