As has been previously discussed at length, ocean acidification is a major issue tied in with climate change. Due to the recent conference in Copenhagen, however, more statistics are being released by scientists. Unfortunately for the oceans and subsequently life on earth, the oceans were discussed little to not at all at the conference itself.
According to those at the conference, fossil fuel and deforestation emissions were discussed at length, however the oceans and ocean acidification were forgotten. The leader of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Jane Lubchenco, who attended the conference, stated: “I call this ocean acidification climate change’s equally evil twin. And part of the need to reduce carbon emissions is to both slow down the rate of climate change but also to start repairing the damage that is being done to oceans.”
Lubchenco continued: “Ocean acidification, which is a relatively unappreciated problem, is as important as climate change. It’s one that most people haven’t heard of. Another way to think of ocean acidification is as osteoporosis of the seas.”
According to a variety of recently released United Nations’ reports, the oceans are on a severe downward slope in need of repair. The U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity has predicted that by 2050, the acidity of the oceans will possibly increase upwards of 150 percent.
In addition, the U.N. has also predicted that by the year 2100, at least 70 percent of cold water coral will be suffering the impacts of global warming and acidification. Harmed coral will lead to a major ripple effect in the food chain, as fish rely upon the coral and larger animals, including many humans, rely on those fish for food.
The U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity report regarding the increased acidity stated: “This dramatic increase is 100 times faster than any change in acidity experienced in the marine environment over the last 20 million years, giving little time for evolutionary adaptation within biological systems.”
A scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Peter Brewer, stated: “The total quantity of carbon dioxide that we’ve put into the oceans today is around 530 billion tons. Now, it’s going up at about 1 million tons an hour. You can’t keep doing that without it having some impact.”
